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Isaiah
Prophet Isaiah; illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (c. 1904)
Prophet
Born	8th Century B.C. Judah (?)
Died	7th Century B.C.
Honored in	Judaism Roman Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches Eastern Orthodox Church Lutheranism Islam[1] Armenian Apostolic Church
Feast	May 9 [2]

Isaiah ( /aɪˈzeɪ.ə/ or UK /aɪˈzaɪ.ə/;^[2] Hebrew: יְשַׁעְיָהוּ, Modern Yeshayahu Tiberian Yəšạʻyā́hû ; Greek: Ἠσαΐας, Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation"^[3]) was a prophet who lived in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.^[4][5] Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed (although not the earliest) of the neviim akharonim, the latter prophets.^[6]

Biography[link]

This section improperly uses one or more religious texts as primary sources without referring to secondary sources that critically analyze them. Please help improve this article by adding references to reliable secondary sources, with multiple points of view.

Russian icon of the Prophet Isaiah, 18th century (iconostasis of Transfiguration Church, Kizhi monastery, Karelia, Russia).

Isaiah is not mentioned anywhere outside of the Bible^[7]. It is stated in the first verse of the Book of Isaiah that he prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah (or Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, the kings of Judah (Isaiah 1:1). Uzziah reigned fifty-two years in the middle of the 8th century BC, and Isaiah must have begun his career a few years before Uzziah's death, probably in the 740s BC. Isaiah lived until the fourteenth year of Hezekiah (who died 698 BC), and may have been contemporary for some years with Manasseh. Thus Isaiah may have prophesied for as long as sixty-four years.

Isaiah's wife was called "the prophetess" (Isaiah 8:3), either because she was endowed with the prophetic gift, like Deborah (Judges 4:4) and Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-20), or simply because she was the wife of "the prophet" (Isaiah 38:1). The second interpretation, that it was simply an honorary title, "Mrs. Prophet" as it were, is likely.^[8] They had two sons, naming one Shear-Jashub, meaning "A remnant shall return"Isaiah 7:3 and the younger, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, meaning, "Spoil quickly, plunder speedily."Isaiah 8:3

In early youth, Isaiah may have been moved by the invasion of Israel by the Assyrian monarch Tiglath-Pileser III (2 Kings 15:19); and again, twenty years later, when he had already entered on his office, by the invasion of Tiglath-Pileser and his career of conquest. Ahaz, king of Judah, at this crisis refused to co-operate with the kings of Israel and Syria in opposition to the Assyrians, and was on that account attacked and defeated by Rezin of Damascus and Pekah of Israel (2 Kings 16:5; 2 Chronicles 28:5–6). Ahaz, thus humbled, sided with Assyria, and sought the aid of Tiglath-Pileser against Israel and Syria. The consequence was that Rezin and Pekah were conquered and many of the people carried captive to Assyria (2 Kings 15:29, 16:9; 1 Chronicles 5:26).

Isaiah receives his vision of the Lord's house. A stained glass window at St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston, SC

Isaiah, by Michelangelo, (c. 1508-1512, Sistine Chapel ceiling, Vatican City).

Soon after this Shalmaneser V determined wholly to subdue the kingdom of Israel, Samaria was taken and destroyed (722 BC). So long as Ahaz reigned, the kingdom of Judah was unmolested by the Assyrian power; but on his accession to the throne, Hezekiah, who was encouraged to rebel "against the king of Assyria" (2 Kings 18:7), entered into an alliance with the king of Egypt (Isaiah 30:2–4). This led the king of Assyria to threaten the king of Judah, and at length to invade the land. Sennacherib (701 BC) led a powerful army into Judah. Hezekiah was reduced to despair, and submitted to the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:14–16). But after a brief interval war broke out again, and again Sennacherib led an army into Judah, one detachment of which threatened Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:2–22; 37:8). Isaiah on that occasion encouraged Hezekiah to resist the Assyrians (37:1–7), whereupon Sennacherib sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah, which he "spread before the LORD" (37:14).

According to the account in Kings (and its derivative account in Chronicles) the judgment of God now fell on the Assyrian army and wiped out 180,000 of its men. "Like Xerxes in Greece, Sennacherib never recovered from the shock of the disaster in Judah. He made no more expeditions against either southern Palestine or Egypt."^[9]

The remaining years of Hezekiah's reign were peaceful (2 Chr 32:23–29). Isaiah probably lived to its close, and possibly into the reign of Manasseh, but the time and manner of his death are not specified in either the Bible or recorded history. There is a tradition (reported in both the Martyrdom of Isaiah and the Lives of the Prophets) that he suffered martyrdom by Manasseh due to pagan reaction.

In Christianity[link]

Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–395), believed that the Prophet Esaias (Isaiah) "knew more perfectly than all others the mystery of the religion of the Gospel." Jerome (c. 342–420) also lauds the Prophet Esias, saying, "He was more of an Evangelist than a Prophet, because he described all of the Mysteries of the Church of Christ so vividly that you would assume he was not prophesying about the future, but rather was composing a history of past events."^[10]

In Islam[link]

Although Isaiah is not mentioned by name in the Qur'an or in the authenticated sayings of Prophet Muhammed, some Muslim sources have accepted him as a prophet.^[11] Some Muslim scholars, such as Ibn Kathir and Kisa'i, reproduced Jewish traditions, transmitted through early Jewish converts to Islam, regarding Isaiah. Such Old Testament stories, which are not confirmed by the Quran or prophetic hadeeth, are referred to as Isra'iliyyah, and are not considered strong enough to be used as evidence in Islamic law. Isaiah is mentioned as a prophet in Ibn kathir's Stories of the Prophets and the modern writers Muhammad Asad and Abdullah Yusuf Ali^[12] accepted Isaiah as a true Hebrew prophet, who preached to the Israelites following the death of King David. Isaiah is well known in Muslim exegesis and literature, notably for his predictions of the coming of Jesus and Muhammad.^[13] Isaiah's narrative in Muslim literature can roughly be divided into three sections. The first part establishes Isaiah as a prophet of Israel during the reign of Hezekiah; the second part focuses on Isaiah's actions during the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib; and the third part is primarily focused upon Isaiah warning the people of coming doom.^[14]

Muslim exegesis preserves a tradition, which parallels that of the Hebrew Bible, which states that Hezekiah was the king that ruled over Jerusalem during Isaiah's time. Hezekiah obeyed and gave an ear to what Isaiah advised him but, nonetheless, this was a turbulent time for Israel.^[15] Tradition, however, maintains that Hezekiah was a righteous man and that the turbulence increased after Hezekiah's death. After the death of the king, Isaiah told the people to not forsake God and he warned Israel that the people must cease from their persistent sin and acts of disobedience. Muslim tradition maintains that the unrighteous people of Israel were angered and sought to kill Isaiah.^[15] In a death which resembles that attributed to Isaiah in Lives of the Prophets, Muslim exegesis recounts that Isaiah was martyred by Israelites by being sawed in half.^[15]

Rabbinic literature[link]

According to the Rabbinic literature, Isaiah was a descendant of the imperial house of Judah and Tamar (Sotah 10b). He was the son of Amoz (not to be confused with Prophet Amos), who was the brother of King Amaziah of Juda. (Talmud tractate Megillah 15a).^[16]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Church, Brooke Peters (1953). The Private Lives of the Prophets and the Times in Which They Lived. New York: Rinehart. 
• Cohon, Beryl D. (1939). The Prophets: Their Personalities and Teachings. New York: Scribner. 
• Herbert, Arthur Sumner (1975). The book of the prophet Isaiah : Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-08624-8. 
• Herbert, Arthur Sumner (1975). The book of the Prophet Isaiah, chapters 40-66. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-20721-5. 
• Kraeling, Emil G. (1969). The Prophets. Chicago: Rand McNally. 
• Miscall, Peter D. (1993). Isaiah. Sheffield, England: JSOT Press. ISBN 1-85075-435-7. 
• Quinn-Miscall, Peter D. (2001). Reading Isaiah : poetry and vision. Louisville: Westminster Press. ISBN 0-664-22369-9. 
• Phillips, J.B. (1963). Four Prophets, Amos, Hosea, First Isaiah, Micha: A Modern Translation from the Hebrew. New York: Macmillan. 
• Sawyer, John F.A. (1996). The fifth gospel : Isaiah in the history of Christianity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-44007-6. 
• Scott, R.B.Y. (1968). The Relevance of the Prophets. Macmillan: London. 
• Smith, J.M. Powis (1941). The Prophets and Their Times. Chicago: University of Chicago. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Isaiah

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Isaiah

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Isaiah

• Sermons on Isaiah
• From Faith to Faith, Chapter IV - Prophecy (A study of Isaiah of Jerusalem)
• Isaiah (Isaias) at the Catholic Encyclopedia
• Avraham Gileadi's new translation and commentary on Isaiah
• Prophet Isaiah Orthodox icon and synaxarion

This article incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), a publication now in the public domain.

Isaiah Mustafa
Isaiah Mustafa, July 16, 2010
Born	Isaiah Mustafa (1974-02-11) February 11, 1974 (age 38) Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Alma mater	Arizona State University
Occupation	Sportsman, actor
Years active	1997–2000 (sports) 2006–present (acting / media)

Isaiah Mustafa (born February 11, 1974)^[1] is an American actor^[2] and former NFL practice squad wide receiver.^[3] Mustafa is widely known as the main character for a series of Old Spice TV commercials, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.

Early life[link]

Mustafa was born in Portland, Oregon, the youngest of seven children of Shahidah Mustafa-Davis and Wali John Mustafa, who owned and ran a limousine service in Laguna Hills, California in the early 1980s.^[4] He and his family are Muslim.^[4] Mustafa studied history at Arizona State^[5] and, in 2000, owned a restaurant called Jo Jo's Barbecue on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles^[6] that is now closed.^[7]

Football career[link]

Mustafa played basketball and ran track at Santa Clara High School in Oxnard, California.^[3] He did not play high school football, but he tried out for Moorpark College's football team hoping for an athletic scholarship;^[7] he became a free safety, later becoming a wide receiver, and eventually earned a football scholarship.^[7][3]

After transferring to Arizona State University on a football scholarship in 1995, Mustafa was a starting wide receiver for the Arizona State Sun Devils but had an unspecified "confrontation" with a coach and was benched his senior year.^[3] Mustafa played during the 1997 Rose Bowl between the then-undefeated Sun Devils (led by Mustafa's friend Jake Plummer)^[5] and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Although Mustafa expected to become a high school teacher after graduation, a sports agent suggested that he try out for NFL teams. The Tennessee Oilers signed him to the practice squad, then sent him to NFL Europe's Barcelona Dragons in 1998.^[3] After a season on the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns' practice squads in 1999, he attended the Seattle Seahawks' training camp in 2000.^[6][8]

Acting career[link]

After the Seahawks, Mustafa pursued an acting career, playing small character roles on various television programs. He gained sudden fame in February 2010 as the result of the popular The Man Your Man Could Smell Like advertising campaign for Old Spice, which featured his monologues.^{[5][9][10][11]} Mustafa's first commercial in the series was directed by Tom Kuntz.

Subsequently, a three-day session created a series of humorous, personalized YouTube videos, with Mustafa reprising the character from the original Old Spice commercial. These were directed at members of the public and celebrities, who had asked him questions on websites such as reddit, Facebook and Twitter.^[12][13]

On July 26, 2011, Old Spice launched a new campaign on YouTube featuring a challenge between Isaiah Mustafa and Fabio entitled Mano a Mano in el Baño. Mustafa said he wasn't worried, even though Fabio has been "the epitome of the sex symbol as a pitchman." Mustafa emerged as the winner.^[14]

Mustafa signed a talent deal with NBC and appeared in the film Horrible Bosses.^[15][16] He hosted the TBS special Funniest Commercials of the Year for both 2010 and 2011.^[17] He has also appeared as a guest panelist on the popular late-night talk show Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld.^[18]

Personal life[link]

Mustafa is a comic book fan (with Spider-Man and Batman among his favorites), which has related to key events in his life. His knowledge of Doctor Doom's first name incidentally helped him win $47,000 on The Weakest Link for a question on the first name of Doctor Frankenstein; the money helped him pursue his post-restaurateur goal of becoming an actor.^[7] Mustafa named his daughter in reference to the Batman character Harley Quinn. He has expressed interest in playing comic book superhero Luke Cage^[19] and appeared as Cage in a Marvel Comics web short styled after his Old Spice commercials.^[20] He is also a fan of the animated series The Venture Bros.

In the realm of sports, Mustafa remains an avid fan of the Arizona State Sun Devils and expressed his support for the Vancouver Canucks NHL team during their 2010–2011 playoff run. He continues to support his hometown Portland Trail Blazers, as is evidenced in the photograph of him at the top of the page.

Mustafa is also a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, rushing while attending Arizona State University.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Isaiah Mustafa at the Internet Movie Database
• Isaiah Mustafa on Twitter

Isaiah Williams (born January 30, 1987) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins at the University of Maryland.

Early years[link]

Williams was born on January 30, 1987 in Montclair, New Jersey to parents Ira and Rita Williams. His father played football at Rutgers and his brother, Ira, Jr., played at Wake Forest from 1998 to 2001. His twin sister, Tahirah, played basketball as a guard at Connecticut She was a senior on the 2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team that went undefeated and won the National Championship.^[1]

Williams attended Bergen Catholic High School where he played football for two years and ran track for three.^[2] As a junior, he recorded 11 receptions for 229 yards and three touchdowns. As a senior in 2004, he set the single-season school records for 45 receptions, 897 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns. On special teams, he returned nine kickoffs for 308 yards. He was named an Associated Press second-team all-state, Newark Star Ledger second-team all-state, first-team all-group, All-North Jersey, and all-county player. He was also named a PrepStar All-East region and SuperPrep All-Northeast player. Williams was recruited by Maryland, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.^[1] He chose to attend Maryland, due to a desire to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), stay close to home, and the Terrapins' three winning seasons from 2001 to 2003.^[3]

College career[link]

At Maryland, Williams majored in American Studies.^[1] As a true freshman in 2005, he played in four games and recorded one reception for four yards. The following season, he saw action in all 13 games including 11 starts. He finished as the team's fourth-leading receiver with 28 receptions and three touchdowns.^[1] For the 2007 season, he was replaced at the X receiver position by sophomore Darrius Heyward-Bey. Williams was moved to Z receiver where he shared playing time with redshirt freshman LaQuan Williams.^[1] Wide receivers coach Bryan Bossard said, "[Isaiah Williams is] more talented than Darrius [Heyward-Bey] ... I've told him that; I've told Darrius that—talking about God-given ability, running, catching the ball, speed, height. Darrius just outworks him, and that's why he's had all the success he's had."^[4] That year, Williams played in all 13 games, including six starts and recorded 395 receiving yards to finish second on the team.^[1] In 2008, Williams again played in 13 games with six starts. He recorded six receptions, including a 43-yard touchdown from receiver Danny Oquendo on a trick play against Eastern Michigan.^[1]

Professional career[link]

Baltimore Ravens[link]

Williams was not selected in the 2009 NFL Draft, but was signed as an undrafted free agent soon after by the Baltimore Ravens.^[5] At the University of Maryland Pro Day on March 11, 2009, Williams posted impressive numbers with a 40-yard dash time of 4.38 seconds, a 60-yard shuttle time of 11.10 seconds, a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.24 seconds, and a vertical jump of 41 inches.^[6]

Pittsburgh Steelers[link]

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Williams as a free agent on May 11, 2010 to fill in for wide receiver Limas Sweed who was placed on injured reserve.^[7] Williams was released by the Steelers on August 23, 2010.^[8]

Arizona Cardinals[link]

The Arizona Cardinals signed Williams as a free agent on August 30, 2010.^[9] He was released in the final preseason cuts,^[10] but subsequently signed to the practice squad.^[11] Williams caught a game winning touchdown in a preseason game vs. The Oakland Raiders on August 11, 2011.^[12]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Williams family ties link Maryland, Wake, The Baltimore Sun, September 21, 2007.
• Terrapins are working to get off the ground, The Washington Post, August 17, 2005.
• Terps' passing game remains in good hands: Veteran receivers, skilled newcomers provide options, The Baltimore Sun, August 15, 2007.
• Maryland's wide receivers are plenty good, not deep, The Washington Post, December 25, 2006.
• Fallout from Bossard's firing, The Washington Times, December 30, 2007.
• Williams comes full-circle, Rivals.com, October 4, 2007.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise.

The phrase "the Man is keeping me down" is commonly used to describe oppression. The phrase "stick it to the Man" encourages resistance to authority, and essentially means "fight back" or "resist", either openly or via sabotage.^[1]

History[link]

The earliest recorded use^{[citation needed]} of the term "the Man" in the American sense dates back to a letter written by a young Alexander Hamilton in September 1772, when he was 15. In a letter to his father James Hamilton, published in the Royal Dutch-American Gazette, he described the response of the Dutch governor of St. Croix to a hurricane that raked that island on August 31, 1772. "Our General has issued several very salutary and humane regulations and both in his publick and private measures, has shewn himself the Man." ^{[2][dubious – discuss]} In the Southern U.S. states, the phrase came to be applied to any man or any group in a position of authority, or to authority in the abstract. From about the 1950s the phrase was also an underworld code word for police, the warden of a prison or other law enforcement or penal authorities.

It was also used as a term for a drug dealer in the 1950s and 1960s and can be seen in such media as Curtis Mayfield's "No Thing On Me", William Burroughs's novel Naked Lunch, and in the Velvet Underground song "I'm Waiting for the Man", in which Lou Reed sings about going to Uptown Manhattan, specifically Lexington Avenue and 125th Street, to buy heroin.

The use of this term was expanded to counterculture groups and their battles against authority, such as the Yippies, which, according to a May 19, 1969 article in U.S. News and World Report, had the "avowed aim ... to destroy 'The Man', their term for the present system of government". The term eventually found its way into humorous usage, such as in a December 1979 motorcycle ad from the magazine Easyriders which featured the tagline, "California residents: Add 6% sales tax for The Man."

In present day, the phrase has been popularized in commercials and cinema, featuring particularly prominently as a recurring motif in the 2003 film School of Rock.^[3][4][5][6]

Use as praise[link]

The term has also been used as an approbation or form of praise. This may refer to the recipient's status as the leader or authority within a particular context, or it might be assumed to be a shortened form of a phrase like "He is the man (who is in charge)." One example of this usage dates to 1879 when Otto von Bismarck commented, referring to Benjamin Disraeli's pre-eminent position at the Congress of Berlin, "The old Jew, he is the man."^{[7][dubious – discuss]}

In more modern usage, it can be a superlative compliment ("you da man!") indicating that the subject is currently standing out amongst his peers even though they have no special designation or rank, such as a basketball player who is performing better than the other players on the court. It can also be used as a genuine compliment with an implied, slightly exaggerated or sarcastic tone, usually indicating that the person has indeed impressed the speaker but by doing something relatively trivial.

See also[link]

• Absentee landlord
• Big Brother (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
• New World Order (conspiracy theory)
• Ruling class
• The Establishment
• Power elite
• Corrections officer
• YTMND

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Lighter, J.E. (Ed.). (1997). Random House Dictionary of American Slang. New York: Random House.

Isaiah Washington
Washington after a speech at a Student National Medical Association conference, 2008
Born	Isaiah Washington IV (1963-08-03) August 3, 1963 (age 48) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1991—present
Spouse	Jenisa Marie Garland (1996–present)

Isaiah Washington IV (born August 3, 1963) is an American actor. A veteran of several Spike Lee films, Washington is best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2007.

Personal life[link]

Washington was born in Houston, Texas, where his parents were residents in the Houston Heights community. His parents moved to Missouri City, Texas around 1980, where he was one of the first graduates from Willowridge High School, Houston, in 1981. Washington revealed in an interview with Star Jones that his father, after whom he was named, was murdered when he was 13 years old. Washington went on to serve in the United States Air Force and attended Howard University. Washington married Jenisa Marie Garland on February 14, 1996. The couple have three children (Isaiah V, Tyme, and Iman).

Career[link]

Grey's Anatomy[link]

In 2005, Washington originated the role of gifted cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. His portrayal earned him two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was paired onscreen with Sandra Oh, who plays intern Dr. Cristina Yang. Washington had originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd, which ultimately went to Patrick Dempsey. Burke had originally been described as a nebbishy, stout forty-something man. For his portrayal of Dr. Burke, Isaiah was honored by TV Guide Magazine as one of "TV's Sexiest Men" in June 2006, and was named one of TV's sexiest doctors in June 2008 on TV Guide's television channel. Prior to the TV Guide honor, Isaiah was named as one of People's "50 Beautiful People" in May 2006.

Dismissal[link]

In the show's third season, Washington became a central figure in a widely reported backstage controversy. In October 2006, news reports surfaced that Washington had insulted co-star T.R. Knight with a homophobic slur. Shortly after the details of the argument became public, Knight publicly disclosed that he was gay. The situation seemed somewhat resolved when Washington issued a statement, apologizing for his "unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set."^[1]

The controversy later resurfaced when the cast appeared at the Golden Globes in January 2007. While being interviewed on the red carpet prior to the awards, Washington joked, "I love gay. I wanted to be gay. Please let me be gay."^[2] After the show won Best Drama, Washington, in response to press queries as to any conflicts backstage, said, "I never called T.R. a faggot." However, in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Knight said that "everybody heard him."

After being rebuked by his studio, Touchstone Television (now ABC Studios), Washington issued a statement apologizing at length for using the epithet in an argument with Patrick Dempsey. On January 30, 2007, a source told People magazine that Washington was scheduled to return to the Grey's Anatomy set as early on that Thursday for the first time since entering "executive counseling" after making the comments at the Golden Globes.

However, on June 7, 2007, ABC announced it had decided not to renew Washington's contract, and that he would be dropped from the show. "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore," Washington said in a statement released by his publicist, borrowing the famous line from Network. In another report, Washington stated he was planning to "spend the summer pursuing charity work in Sierra Leone, work on an independent film and avoid worrying about the show."^[3] In a subsequent interview, Washington claimed that "they fired the wrong guy" (referring to Knight) and said he was considering filing a lawsuit as a result. He accused Knight of using the controversy to bolster his own career and increase his salary on Grey's Anatomy.^[4] Washington, in late June 2007, began asserting that racism within the media was a factor in his firing from the series.^[5] On July 2, 2007, Washington appeared on Larry King Live on CNN, to present his side of the controversy. According to Washington, he never used the "F Word" in reference to Knight, but rather blurted it out in an unrelated context in the course of an argument "provoked" by Dempsey, who, he felt, was treating him like a "B-word," a "P-word," and the "F-word," which Washington said conveyed "somebody who is being weak and afraid to fight back."^[6]

In July 2007, NBC decided to cast Washington as a guest star in a story arc in its new series Bionic Woman. NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman noted his eagerness to work with Washington, saying it would be "like A-Rod leaving the Yankees in midseason." However, Bionic Woman was cancelled after only 8 episodes due to low ratings. Washington himself said that his dismissal from Grey's Anatomy was an unfortunate misunderstanding that he was eager to move past. By the beginning of the next season of Grey's Anatomy, Washington's character 'Burke' had left the show following the end of the season finale.

Recent work[link]

Now focusing his efforts off-screen, Washington is a devout supporter of Sierra Leone. In November 2007, Washington and the Gondobay Manga Foundation opened its first school, Chief Foday Golia Memorial School, in the Njala Kendema village for 150 students in grades K-5. The new school, named in honor of the former leader of the village, replaces two grass huts not suited for occupants. In addition to building the school, Washington and the Gondobay Manga Foundation advocate cooperative planning to achieve positive, timely improvements in the lives of the people of Sierra Leone. By uniting passionate people, The Foundation strives for immediate impact by addressing one village at a time. This singular approach tailors initiatives to the specific needs of the village community, while drawing the attention of the international community to distinct goals. In undertaking such issues as road building, water supply, and electricity, The Foundation will stress the need for reliability, accountability, and sustainability in the infrastructure of Sierra Leone. Washington has also been involved in the computer reconstruction efforts of Bunce Island, having donated $25,000 to the project. At the helm of the initiative are James Madison University professors Joseph Opala and Gary Chatelain, a historian and computer artist who are using their expertise to reconstruct the slave castle as it appeared in the year 1805. Their computer image will eventually serve as an educational tool for scholars.^[7]

Washington honorably served in the United States Air Force. Active in promoting the arts, he hosted the recent 16th Annual Pan-African Film Festival. Washington was the Master of Ceremonies for the first White House Summit on Malaria to fight the war against malaria in 15 African countries. On September 25, 2008, Washington attended the 63rd United Nations General Assembly in New York City as an advisor to President Ernest Bai Koroma of the Republic of Sierra Leone. Washington served as a member of the President's personal delegation while the newly democratically elected President addressed the United Nations for the first time. The following day, President Koroma traveled to Washington, D.C. and took private meetings with Congressman Donald Payne and Congressman John Conyers, Jr. at the recommendation of Washington. Inspired by his first visit to the United States and Washington, D.C., Koroma announced at the Willard Hotel before his key Ministers, that he would grant Washington full citizenship and issue him his official Sierra Leone passport. This historical citizenship declaration made Washington the first African-American to receive such an honor and President Ernest Bai Koroma the first African President to perform such an act. Finalized on April 26, 2010, it concluded a longtime dream of dual citizenship for African-Americans by Pan African pioneers such as W.E.B. DuBois, Kwame Nkrumah, Martin Luther King, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Horace Mann Bond, Ralph Bunche, Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Edward Wilmot Blyden and Rev. Leon H. Sullivan.^[8]

In 2010, Washington became an Honorary Board Member of the Seattle-based non-profit The Borgen Project, an organization that advocates global poverty legislation.^[9]

Isaiah Washington has written a book called “A Man from Another Land.” The book chronicles Washington’s early life, his TV and Film Career, and his search to find his roots after going through a DNA test that showed his ancestors came from Sierra Leone, West Africa. Since learning about his history, Washington has traveled to Sierra Leone, donated medical supplies to a hospital there, and built a school.^[10] In Freetown, Sierra Leone, in April, 2011 Sierra Leoneans around the world came together for the historic celebration of the country's 50th Independence, which Isaiah Washington joined, and presented President Ernest Koroma a signed copy of his new book, "A Man from Another Land."^[11]

On December 29, 2011 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey received Isaiah Washington, his wife Jenisa Washington and three children at the Justice and Development (AK Party) Headquarter's in Ankara, Turkey. Speaking to reporter's at his arrival, Washington said that he came to Ankara to meet with Prime Minister Erdogan. "I am a big fan of Erdogan. I support his philosophy based on peace and prosperity. I will share my views on Sierra Leone and Africa with him." Later, after a 1 hour meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan, Washington said that the meeting was fruitful.^[12]

African American Lives Series[link]

Washington is of African descent. A genealogical DNA test conducted by African Ancestry, Inc. revealed that Washington's maternal ancestry can be traced to what is now Sierra Leone, and that he has an ancestral link to the Mende and Temne peoples there. In May 2006 he visited Sierra Leone, and received a warm welcome from the local people. He travelled to Sierra Leone in May 2006 marking the beginning of his charity work and was granted Sierra Leonean Citizenship, making him the first African American to be granted full citizenship based on DNA. Source: Murtala Kamara Mohamed, AfricaNews reporter in Freetown, Sierra Leone

His paternal ancestry links him to the Mbundu people, an ethnic group in Angola.^[13][14]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Image Awards

• 2002: Nominated, "Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special" - Dancing in September
• 2006: Won, "Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series" - Grey's Anatomy
• 2007: Won, "Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series" - Grey's Anatomy

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 2006: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" - Grey's Anatomy
• 2007: Won, "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" - Grey's Anatomy
• 2008: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" - Grey's Anatomy

References[link]