Adams’ Fear of Mom, driving force, not gangsters,

By William Doyle-Marshall

The founder of the i.am.angel Foundation, will.i.am (William Adams) received the 2016 Crystal Award for his leadership in providing educational opportunities for the under-served. During the recently concluded World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the multi-talented Adams was presented with the award for his untiring efforts.

   His i.am.angel Foundation has developed numerous programmes for youth in Los Angeles such as I am STEAM which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. I am Scholarship and I am College struck are two other branches. He also has a workshop in Los Angeles.

   The reason why he chose to do this work, he told the Switzerland Awards gathering, is because he wants to pay for what was given to him when he was growing up in the ghetto in Los Angeles, California. “I come from a very, very poor neighbourhood that was littered with crime and drug and gang activities but my Mom was very strict and I was more afraid of my Mom than the gangsters in my neighbourhood.”

   He concluded that music has taken him around the world and he has seen things that he wanted to take back to his neighbourhood. “Every time there is a natural disaster they call musicians or famous people to bring awareness to what’s happening in the world. In ghettoes that resemble the condition that I come from, there is a natural disaster every day; there is a Tsunami of neglect; there’s war between gang and rival; senseless and just ignorance crime and I wanted to make sure that kids in the neighbourhood that I come from (starting there) aim to be more than just musicians, not that being a musician is a bad thing; it’s just that our industry has collapsed and I speak from experience that although you can make a living, it isn’t as health as it used to be and I want kids to dream to be like Steve Jobs, not just Stevie Wonder. I want kids to dream to be like Bill Gates. I want them to discipline and dedicate their lives to solving the world’s problems. And the way you do that is not by waiting for government to come down and change education reform because you never know how long that’s going to take. Somebody has to take responsibility in their own hands and do that for communities especially if you believe that kids that have been neglected can make something out of themselves and solve the world’s problems. So I started with 60 kids, now I have 320 kids. This year is our first graduation year class. Our kids started off with the worst grades that one could imagine: in and out of juvenile and crime and selling drugs and now our kids have 3.5s and 4.0s. Our kids will go on to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), as a really super, super struck student as it only takes one so one kid could change that community forever.”

   “My vision was, what if What’s App came from Watts? What if Facebook came from Compton? What if Apple came from (Fith Ward) Mississippi? These communities would change forever and I hope in this business to find one or two kids and I am really proud of this girl named Cynthia who is our star student who is inspiring the whole community to really just pick up the ball and be leaders. So thank you so much for acknowledging the work that we are doing.”

 As the founder of i.am+, he is actively engaged in the worlds of technology, fashion and accessories and social activism. The i.am.angel Foundation has created a new model for STEAM education that serves at-risk youth via after-school tutoring and enrichment activities. Adams is also on a mission to elevate the importance of recycling and to turn waste into a valued commodity through EKOCYCLE brand.

  His professional career has many facets. He is a singer, songwriter, Rapper, entrepreneur, actor, musician, record producer and philanthropist. As a musician he is best known for his work with the Black Eyed Peas with whom he received seven Grammy Awards. Wil-i-am has also released solo albums and produced the works of other musicians including Michael Jackson, U2 and Lady Gaga. He is a role model. He has a long standing commitment to inspire children to stay in school and go to college to become the leaders of tomorrow.