Send Me Home to Nigeria
When I was six years old, my mother revealed my father's identity to
me. Even though she had raised me without any help from him, she spoke
of him as one of the most genuine and noble men she had ever met. For
the next 20 years, I was obsessed with connecting to the man whom I
admired, but didn't know. The truth is that, my father didn't even know I
existed until I was 27 years old. Thousands of prayers, Google searches
and Nigerian news articles later, I found a living person with my
father's last name.
It showed up in the strangest of places. I
found the last name, IGBOYI, on Facebook. The first Igboyi I found was
my cousin. Afterwards, I met my little sister. Then I met the rest of my
family. This marked a new era of my life. Now, I would be forever be
connected to Africa, directly through my family.
It has been 3
years since I first connected with my sister on Facebook. She has
graduated from college, started a career, and found love. She is now
preparing to marry the man of her dreams and I want to be there! Help me
make it to Nigeria for my sister's wedding. I will be leaving on Monday, October 15, 2012. This
will be my chance to meet my father face to face as well as the Nigerian
family that I have never known.
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Bio
Casey Bridgeford is an award-winning American hip hop artist and community activist. Professionally known as "iLL Holiday"; his music drives listeners to live healthy lifestyles. He runs a blog that is quickly becoming a medium for sharing new music, fashion and culture from around the globe.
Casey's community work has allowed him to develop his city's first and only city-wide peace tour. He currently works to develop young professionals who have an interest in working in the non-profit sector.
Learn more about Casey "iLL Holiday" Bridgeford at the following links:
Linkedin:www.linkedin.com/in/caseybridgeford
Facebook: www.facebook.com/illigans
ILL Holiday Dot Com: www.illholiday.com
