A History of Caring

Born in Kuwait to an American mother and a Palestinian Greek father, Walid attended the American School of Kuwait (A.S.K.) until his family decided to move to his mother‘s home state of South Carolina in 1985.

Walid attended Lexington high school where he played flute in the Symphony Orchestra and bass drum in the LHS marching band when they won their first state championship in 1987. Baptized Greek Orthodox at his father’s church in Kuwait, then attending and later confirmed United Methodist at his mother’s church in Lexington. He identifies as a Unitarian Universalist, but holds no belief in a traditional supreme being.

After graduating Lexington high school, Walid attended Newberry College. Towards the end of his freshman year, the country that he was born and raised in was invaded by the neighboring country of Iraq. With a strong sense of duty passed down for five generations, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps to serve his country and to liberate the place he called home for 14 years. After 18 months of intensive training, and many months after the conclusion of the Gulf War, Walid was stationed at MCAS New River, NC where he was assigned to the Provost Marshals Office and worked as a Military Policeman for the next 3.5 years.

After military service, Walid felt the need to continue to serve. He was appointed or assigned to Board of Directors for both NGOs and city boards.

In 2011 Walid took part in the Occupy Columbia protests and was a notable figure when governor Nikki Haley had him and 18 other members of his group arrested for trespassing. After the charges were dropped, Walid was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Governor for unlawful arrest. Walid and his group were rewarded nearly $200,000.

In 2011 Walid answered a notice for parts in a new production called “Homeland”. For the next several years he enjoyed working small parts in local tv and movie productions.

In 2015 the city of Columbia, South Carolina overstepped its authority when it enacted a 30 day weapons band surrounding the state capital. Walid was successful in his lawsuit against the city, the judge agreed that the right to regulate firearms was reserved for The State house alone.

In late 2015, Walid and another Marine veteran rode together to North Dakota. They were to be a part of 12,000 military veterans that were asked to join Native Americans at Veterans For Standing Rock in defense of their sacred burial grounds and water rights. In 2020 he led a security team to protect protesters in Charleston, South Carolina. The police conducted an unlawful arrest, and the charges were eventually dropped. He proved that the power to regulate firearms is reserved for the state house alone, and not for cities and counties.

Walid has always felt politically homeless. Raised a Republican, he later found other parties that offered different perspectives. He was the Executive Director for the SC Libertarian Party, ran for Columbia City Council as an independent and even made an attempt for the SC Statehouse as a Democrat. He explored socialism too, but none of the parties he explored felt as though they had the solutions for South Carolinians. Not one.

Walid has spent years helping to run and manage his and his families businesses in Columbia SC.

He has been married and divorced twice with three loving children. His middle daughter is married to an Air Force veteran.