Although over time society has become more accepting of interracial dating, in many places throughout the country there still remains a stigma that looms over those types of relationships. For Allie Dowdle, a White 18-year-old from Tennessee, her relationship with an African-American caused her parents to financially cut her off. Dowdle took matters into her own hands and launched a GoFundMe page to cover her college expenses which has garnered almost $35,000, reports USA Today:
Allie Dowdle, 18, who is white and a senior at The Hutchison School, posted her GoFundMe plea online on Jan. 11, and barely a week later, contributors have raised $34,675, far surpassing the original goal Dowdle set of $10,000.
But the crowdfunding site and the teen’s tale of woe haven’t been without controversy.
This began, Dowdle wrote, about a year ago when she informed her parents, Bill and Demetra Dowdle, that she was dating Michael Swift. Swift, who is black, is a former soccer standout at Memphis University School who now plays midfield and forward as a freshman at Clemson University. His father is Michael Swift, who spent four years in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and the San Diego Chargers
“I showed my parents his picture, and the conversation was over before it even began,” Dowdle wrote. “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,” she wrote.
According to USA Today, during a recent interview with the New York Daily News, Dowdle’s father said “dating a black man may not be his ‘preference’ because of ‘issues’ involved with biracial dating in the South.”
Although Allie Dowdle has received an outpour of support, many people have criticized her for starting a GoFundMe page.
SOURCE: USA Today
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Tennessee Teen Raises $35K After Being Cut Off For Interracial Relationship was originally published on newsone.com
