A teenager from Memphis has started a fundraising page to raise money for her college tuition fees.
Allie Dowdle desperately wants to raise money after her parents cut her off financially, wait for it, for dating a black guy…
Allie, 18, explained their reaction to her relationship on her GoFundMe page:
“I showed my parents his picture, and the conversation was over before it even began. My dad did not give me an option: he told me that I was not allowed to see Michael ever again. Why? Strictly because of skin color. It wasn’t a quiet “no,” either. I’ll never forget the yelling my parents did, when they expressed how disappointed they were in me, that I could do so much better. I did not know what to do. I couldn’t comprehend how someone could be seen as less because of pigment.”
She says the pair continued to see each other in secret for about a year before they both went to her parents to ask for their blessing. Allie says that’s when her parents cut her off.
“My parents have chosen to no longer support my future, stripping me of all my resources including my personal savings, my car, my phone, and my education and leaving me on my own to pay for college. Unfortunately, I will no longer be able to attend college if I cannot come up with the money somehow.”
Allie’s father spoke with the New York Daily News, saying “it was never about race” and he didn’t approve of her last boyfriend either.
At time of publishing, Allie has raised over $33,000 (USD) which has way exceeded the $10,000 she was hoping for.
Thanks to the internet’s support, Allie’s dreams of college won’t be cut short. We’re not sure we can say the same about her relationship with her family.
Allie’s GoFundMe page can be found at “Allie’s Tuition – Say No to Racism”
