I am an American
Veteran Abdul’Haq Muhammed helps low-income kids in his Florida hometown
Each week, this series will introduce you to an exceptional American who unites, rather than divides, our communities. To read more about the American profiled here and more average Americans doing exceptional things, visit onenation.usatoday.com.
Originally from Harlem, New York, Abdul’Haq Muhammed served in the Army, attended college, and worked in South and North Africa importing and exporting clothes before settling in Fort Myers in 1990 and starting the QLC. Muhammed finds ways to help children in low-income Florida neighborhoods lead better lives and become difference-makers in the community.
What does it mean to be an American?
“I am a veteran. I grew up in this country. I served in this country during the Vietnam era. I consider myself a patriot. That doesn’t mean I agree with all of the policies our country has. Every day I wake up making a contribution to our community, to our society, to make a better way and better place for young people and adults. To me, that is patriotism.”
What moment touched and motivated you to launch this effort?
“The spark for me was to see teenagers and African-American and Latino boys being arrested, their heads being guided into police cruisers. That sticks with me very clearly. Looking at that, I felt there was something I could do. I was encouraged to come to the community and shortly after started Quality Life Center of Southwest Florida. In working now 26 years with Quality Life Center, where we have renovated a house of ill repute, a drug den, an after-hours spot where deaths have taken place, we have been blessed with the good efforts of many people in Lee County/Fort Myers to restore a facility. Now it is a beacon of hope. Children have been educated and went off to college. Now, their children are coming back for us to serve in early learning and after-school programs. This is an institution the community has embraced.”
What gives you hope?
“What gives me hope is faith in the Creator. What gives me hope is the sense of opportunity that exists despite how bad it may seem. There is always opportunity. I believe in the philosophy: I think we can be motivated in different directions, and I choose to be motivated by opportunity.”
What do you hope to accomplish through your efforts?
“I think if we can understand our neighbor, regardless of what social economic level we are on, to be able to have genuine empathy that results in tangible and real results. Not throwing crumbs at the rich man’s gate, but genuinely recognize that I am my brother’s keeper, and let me do what I can to balance out society and give opportunity to people who didn’t have hope before.”