By Ethiopians for Obama

We are Ethiopians who immigrated from our birth land and arrived in America in search of a dream. There are hundreds of thousands of us who live in this great country; working hard and sacrificing so that our children can have a better life than we did. The young generation of Ethiopians who either grew up in American or were born here have benefited from the labor of our parents and have worked hard and studied assiduously to realize the American dream. We have doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, engineers and accountants who have leveraged the sacrifice of their parents to seize the day. More amazing are the thousands upon thousands who work in stores, coffee shops, taxi cabs, and parking lots–Ethiopians whose dedication to their family is the quintessential story of the American dream.

We all have different stories on why we left Ethiopia, but we all have one thing in common as to why we arrived in America—hope. This wonderful country gives us the chance to live our lives freely and the possibility to accomplish anything if we work hard for it. We have the privilege of benefiting from the sacrifices of the many that came before us so that we can pave the way for the next generations’ ascendancy to heights we have yet to imagine. However, this privilege comes with responsibilities. We have a responsibility to be involved politically–to vote–and to take part in the political process that influences our lives here and the lives of millions throughout the world. So it is not only important that we vote, it is incumbent upon us to do so.

There are millions throughout the world that would abandon their earthly possessions to have an iota of the freedoms we take for granted here. Chief upon these is the freedom to elect the officials who work on our behalf. The ballot we cast in the booth has the power to influence the policies—domestically and internationally—that is enacted by our government. Voting is a sacred responsibility that we should all take seriously and take part in emphatically. “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.” (Lyndon Baines Johnson)

So why vote? What’s in it for us? This question is asked every time and at every place. The answer—because change starts with us. Ethiopian who live in America are a dichotomy; we are everywhere while being no where at the same time. Ethiopians form one of the largest community of expatriates from Africa, yet there is no reliable data that shows the extent of our numbers in America . When it comes to politics, we are passionate; yet when it comes to voting, collectively we are ambivalent. We march by the thousands in cities around the world, yet the one apparatus that has the most power—the ballot—collects dust as we ignore its ability to deliver change. Senator Obama believes in building a movement from the bottom-up; a profound change is never implemented from the top-down, it metamorphosizes from the desires of the mass to change our circumstances.

So the question is not what can Obama do for us, it is what can we do for ourselves. Ethiopians–like all folks in every corner of the world–have more in common than the insignificant divides that separate us. We share a history that dates back centuries and common heritage that binds us as one. We are not condemned to eternal strife; we have the choice of throwing off the yolk of divisions based on ethnic, religious, or regional differences and coming together to work for the common good. We have the choice to change, we have the choice to unite.

We are presented with a unique opportunity to elect a man who values the value of unity. Barack Obama does not preach unity as a slogan, he lived it throughout his life. He is a man with a Kansan mother and a Kenyan father; a man who lived in almost every corner of the world and has a keen intellect that espouses dialogue on the basis of mutual understanding and respect. He bypassed the chance to earn a handsome living to become a community organizer in the streets of South Chicago making less than $30,000 after graduating from Harvard Law School . He worked with local churches to organize the neglected masses. Barack Obama knew of the importance of organizing people so that they could have a voice in the political process—we, too, should heed this lesson.

The importance of organizing politically extends beyond elections. Our ability to unite and quantify our voice has implications that impact issues concerning health and socio-economic matters. If there is a health issue that impact the Ethiopian community disproportionately, our ability to point to a reliable and quantifiable segment of the population will enable us to lobby congress in order to seek relief. Our ability to unite will enable us to bring light to issues of social and economical concerns that impact our communities. We live in a country that encourages and fosters communities of all stripes and backgrounds to organize and lobby congress to address issues of concern to communities everywhere. This is what is in it for us, the ability to move out of the periphery of relevancy into a posture of note. Our inability to organize will relegate us to the shadows of this great country; our voices muted while living as invisible citizens in the greatest country on earth.

This is a unique opportunity for Ethiopian-Americans to fully take part in the political process. There are many reasons why most in our community do not readily embrace the idea of being involved politically. Most immigrated to the United States to escape the clutches of politics. Most reflexively avoid politics, leery of being labeled one way or the other. For many, organizing politically was a foreboding topic that would only lead to trouble or worse. However, this is America , we are in a land that values a civic responsibility of those who are involved politically. The very fabric of this nation is interwoven with a sense of political participation. In this great nation, friction is resolved through dialogue and disagreements assuaged by discussion. We stand at the precipice of a new era where we see each other not with suspicion borne out of differences but with a purpose based on commonalities. This is what is in it for us, we can continue to squabble and pass on to our children a legacy of derision or we can embark on a new road where we value our differences and respect our viewpoints as we work together for the betterment of all. This is our choice, it is up to us to choose.

Please join Ethiopians for Obama at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ethiopiansforobama/