Nigerian refugee Tanitoluwa Adewumi’s NY State chess championship was worth $180,000 and a new life for his family.
Identifying a talent, harnessing it, combining it with focus, purpose and then using it to rise out of predetermined, oppressive conditions is a familiar aspect of the Black experience.
Look no further than Tanitoluwa Adewumi, an 8-year-old Nigerian refugee who lives in a homeless shelter and placed first in the New York State Scholastic Championships chess tournament for his age bracket (K-3).
“It’s unheard of for any kid, let alone one in a homeless shelter,” said Russell Makofsky, who oversees Manhattan’s P.S. 116 chess program, in a statement to USA TODAY.
8-year-old Tani Adewumi is a chess champion that’s well on his way to mastering the difficult game. What’s even more remarkable is his story. He and his family have been living in a NYC homeless shelter since fleeing Nigeria two years ago. pic.twitter.com/K6zPHoZf3m
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 19, 2019
In the process of training for the match, the young soul was able to captivate the masses and win the generosity of the people with his bravery, raw abilities, and resilience, raising over $180,000 for his family and chess expenses. According to recent reports, his family is now preparing to move into an apartment.
“I want to be the youngest grandmaster,” Adewumi– who goes by Tani– told The New York Times.
Tanitoluwa has already lived a life full of challenges and dangers that a kid his age should never have to endure. His family fled war-torn northern Nigeria in 2017 fearing terror attacks on Christians from the group Boko Haram and moved to New York City over a year ago.
He and his family haven’t been able to secure housing so they’ve been living in a homeless shelter. They have sought asylum and an immigration hearing has been scheduled for August, 2019.
Tanitoluwa did, however, figure out a way to create a better life for his family by discovering and excelling at the game of chess.
PS 116 School chess coach Shawn Martinez saw Tani ’s potential when the elementary school student flashed some incredible chess skills. He was putting the smackdown on kids with private chess tutors, just a few weeks after being introduced to the game.
Tanitoluwa Adewumi, an 8-year-old Nigerian, who fled to the U.S. with his parents in 2018, is now a chess champion, a little over a year after learning how to play chess.#Chess #Prodigy #Genius #GoFundMe #Tani #TanitoluwaAdewumi #Nigerian #TheGuardianNg pic.twitter.com/KMXRgccxGd
— The Guardian Nigeria (@GuardianNigeria) March 20, 2019
Martinez introduced Tani and his parents to the school’s chess program. Then he waived the fees associated with playing on a competitive chess team. Other people were compelled to chip in. A fellow student gave Tanitoluwa a chess clock, Tani’s mother started taking him to free lessons in Harlem. His Dad relinquished his laptop to the cause so his prodigy son could spend hours refining his new craft by playing chess online.
Eventually, Makofsky started a GoFundMe campaign to help Tanitoluw’s family endure costs that can easily exceed thousands of dollars in travel, training and chess camp admission. Tani’s remarkable journey has produced seven trophies in addition to the financial cushion he’s providing for his struggling family.
CHECK MATE ♖ This 8-year-old homeless refugee from Nigeria is taking the chess world by storm. He's of the country's newest and youngest chess champions, praised for his perseverance through incredible hardship. https://t.co/q9zDAyd0mm pic.twitter.com/kLDCA6Vm0t
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) March 18, 2019
Children of color are often forced to rationalize life’s hardships and deal with extreme socio-economic injustices from birth, but through all of the hardship, the Black mind remains a vessel oozing with ambition, hope, potential, and innovativeness.
Tanitoluwa Adewumi is a living example of how spectacular a child can become with a little support, encouragement and talent cultivation.
