By Teddy Fikre
Senator Obama’s historic campaign has ignited a level of excitement within the Ethiopian-American community unlike any other time. We have embraced Obama’s message of hope and self-empowerment as our own. Ethiopians for Obama is an offshoot of this enthusiasm, what started off with a loose network of Ethiopians volunteering for Senator Obama’s campaign has blossomed into a grass-roots organic movement of Ethiopian-Americans across multiple states dedicating ourselves to organizing the Ethiopian community and encouraging all to register and vote.
Ethiopians for Obama has accomplished some truly astounding feats. We have made phone-calls to over a thousand Ethiopians in the states of Pennsylvania, Oregon, Indiana, and Ohio during the primary season. We have traveled to multiple states and raised thousands of dollars from our fellow Ethiopians in support of Senator Obama. We are currently working relentlessly to register thousands of Ethiopians in every state where there is a robust Ethiopian presence.
No where is this effort to register Ethiopians more evident than in the Commonwealth of Virginia . Virginia is home to the largest population of Ethiopian expatriates in the world. There are untold thousands who live in Alexandria , Arlington , Richmond , Fairfax and Prince William County . There are so many Ethiopians in Northern Virginia that it is no longer a novelty to see an Ethiopian in a store or in our neighborhoods. Visiting Ethiopian shops and restaurant, one almost gets the feel of being back in Ethiopia at times. In a state where the outcome of the election could hinge on a couple of thousand votes, the Ethiopian-American vote can be a decisive one.
We hold in our hands the possibility of deciding the outcome of the presidential race. If enough of us vote, we can take part in a broad coalition of Americans who have decided to seek a change. However, to turn this possibility into reality will require hard work and sacrifice. We cannot say we support Senator Obama if we are not registered to vote. Watching CNN or MSNBC and following the election is useless if we do not vote on November 4th. We live in a country that encourages all citizens to vote—to let our voices be heard through the megaphone of democracy. How long must we live in the shadows of this great country, how long must we continue to be invisible men and women?
The truth is that there are not enough of us engaged enough in the political process. During the Ethiopian Soccer Tournament, Ethiopians for Obama set up a registration table for the entire week. Over 30,000 Ethiopians from every corner of the United States were in attendance. While registering even one voter for the entire week is better than none, it goes without saying that the final number of people who registered to vote did not match the number of people there and the overwhelming level of devotion that is evident for Senator Obama within our community. One person actually said “I support Obama but I don’t care about voting.”
While we cannot let our frustration predicate our actions, it is a bit dismaying that our community is not uniting on a much broader level, working harder, and sacrificing more to get as many Ethiopian-Americans registered as possible. No one can judge the worth of a man’s or a woman’s work, but if you are reading this and you are a citizen of the United States yet not registered to vote, then ask yourself—why not? We can debate and argue ad infinitum about developments in Ethiopia . However, we live in America , we have the ability to unite here and be a part of this democracy. How can we demand change elsewhere when we are not willing to do the work of creating change here. We are a very resilient people; most of us came to America with not much more than hope on our side. There might be a lot of reasons why we have not been involved politically in the United States . But this is not time to look backwards; if we are able to unite and vote, we will accomplish a historical feat.
As Senator Obama says, this is more about us than it is about him. We have been fractured and divided for too long; this is our moment to unite and make a difference. We have to stop being reactionary, what good does it do to celebrate on November 4th when Obama is elected if we have not taken the simplest of all actions and register to vote. We are decedents of amazing people–our history is rich and meaningful. We have accomplished some of the most amazing feats and overcome some of the biggest obstacles in our past. However, we cannot rest on our past achievement, now is the moment to reach into the “Yechalal” spirit and accomplish our own amazing feat in our time. We cannot take for granted what millions throughout the world march and die for. The freedom to vote, the freedom to choose our elected officials is one that we have to take seriously. Without registering to vote, we render ourselves irrelevant.
At times, the hesitancy to register on the part of many in our community is frustrating. However, behind every frustration, there is a hope that pushes us forward. This hope–a beacon of light that shines out at times of darkness–is what pushes Ethiopians for Obama forward. One such moment occurred during the very same Ethiopian Soccer Tournament at our registration drive. A 15 year old girl was there from California and was observing the many events of the week. What grabbed her attention more than anything else was the sight of her fellow Ethiopians registering other Ethiopians to vote. She was inspired by this simple act; while we might have fell short of our overall goal, knowing that we had such an impact on the life of this young lady was worth every ounce of effort that we extended. This is how change starts in our community, by inspiring one person—who was not even old enough to vote—we can be a part of a moment that changes how we approach the issues that has divided us for too long.
Time is not a commodity that we have on our side. We have to find a way to translate the overwhelming support for Senator Obama in our community to concrete steps towards getting him elected. Enthusiasm without action is empty; now is the moment for us to work hard to ensure that we register as many of our fellow Ethiopian-Americans as possible. If you are not yet registered, do so today—there is no action that you can take that is so effortless yet has so much meaning. Most states require that you register 30 days before the election; that means that most of us have until early October to ensure that we have the capacity to vote during this historic election. If you are registered already, please reach out to your friends and family and encourage them to vote. This is a time for action; this is our moment to unite and work together for a change that we all have been waiting for.
Please join Ethiopians for Obama at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ethiopiansforobama/
For more information, email [email protected]
11 thoughts on “Ethiopians for Obama: Between Frustration and Hope”
This is the LEAST that you guys can do. Please make yourself part of the political movement.If i were you, i would not even wait until this time to do it. You have to do it!!
An excellent job. We need somebody to remind us because we are so slow. It is not enough just to register to vote but also to contribute money for this cause.
I wish you guys put this effort towards your own country. We have our own political crisis and issues to deal with. Our country is falling apart. I am not sure what you are looking or expecting from the Obama presidency but I can assure you, the foreign policy of America will never change and Obama will not help you remove the Melese regime by sending troops. Therefore like the guy at the stadium said, I don’t really care who is the president and where this country heads. I want solution to my own country and only “us†Ethiopians can bring solution. Let’s get our heads, time and energy together and bring solution. Stop acting like you are an American cause you are not and you will never be. Don’t let the paper full you, it’s all in the blood. Stop the Obama campaign and start the Ethiopians for Ethiopia campaign.
Go and vote for him. Don’t hesitate. Use your democratic right. Then you may pray to him for his victory inside the church or chapel. It is high time for action not simply for admiring. It is not a beauty contest or a film that you watch it leaning on your sofa.
Take care guys.
What is most important is that there are active and conscious core activists who try their best to organize and activate the passive and often fatalistic majority who are not used to influence events in the generally positive direction for all, but fighting for their daily bread.
Refugees and immigrants are in the main viewd as marginal groups who keep staying isolated from the host communities and as such keep living on the border line of society, divided, envious, frustrated and some times even turning on each other.
We need tireless educated and conscious uniting community leaders and activists who can see the big picture and the light at the end of the tunnel.
This is not the kind of back-home parochial ethnic and religious bickering and trying to oppress some one next door.
If anything, this is some kind of giving identity and providing an exceptionally visible role model for our children and grand children down the line, regardless of where we are on this planet earth at this historical time of the 21st century where the whole world is fast becoming a simple common village.
In the American context this is not about Obama but about ourselves, our children and grand children’s self respect and identity construction and expansion of personal and communal comfort zones.
As an Ethiopian, whether you are married to another Ethiopian or other race, live in the USA or in other countries, just turn to your small kids and friend’s kids and ask them as to with whom they identify and feel comfortable while watching Barack Obama talking or John McCain talking on television?
This is not about Obama soon coming and distributing sweets and ice creams but about role playing that young people can feel strong and see endless multiple posibilities rather than always staying outside in the cold and playing the victim’s role.
Obama is a child of the system that raised him. I If you are dreaming about the wonderful things about the Obama adminstration, you are setting yourself for a big disappointment. If you are voting for Obama just to see a balck man in the white house, I can see your point and in some way I can see what that can do to the self-esteem. Other than that, be prepared to be disappointed if Obama will not lift a finger to improve the political situation in Ethiopia or anywhere else for that matter. To think of Obama anything other than a child of the military industrial complex is cildish at best.
Girma, so what is the alternative? If Obama is a child of the military industrial complex, McCain is the father of the military industrial complex. I understand what you mean, but with Obama, at least there is a little bit of hope that he may not turn out to be part of that system.
Ethiopians are for Obama, unlike few intruders write here in this blog. I think one has to read the message before posting something very silly.I want to see Ethiopia as a democratic country that beleive in election.I want to see in my country transfr of power through election.If one cannot beleive in election and election results how could he stand for democratic Ethiopia. In my view if one doesn’t beleive in American election and its results, he doesn’t beleive in election and election results in Ethiopia.Thus it is going to be useless even such person try to work for Ethiopia because such a person is not for democracy and freedom.
Ethiopians for Obama group is doing a great job. I completely agree with your analysis and I am going to vote for Obama. I don’t care much about what he is going to do when elected, but I don’t want to see old John Macain continue George Bush’s policy in the world.I don’t want see America falling with a wrong and stupid old way of politics because for least I am benefiting from the country and for most it is my childrens’ country.
Ethiopians for Obama need to do their excellent job with great motivation and iron endurance.
Some of the parochial Ethiopians devoid of any democratic cultural values and appreciation for change may not run to vote for Obama.
They may not even understand as to what it means to have a democratic and pluralistic chief excutive in the white house who may develop humanistic policies and pro people programs as opposed to inhuman and proconmen policies of the neo cons rampaging the planet earth for oil while ordinary people are dying at home due to repeat natural devastations and economic staginations.
Some of these anti Obama characters are spinless dictator Wayne’s agents and cadres who are very unhappy about the popularity of democrat Barack Obama because they actually need facist dictators like themselves who may generousely fund their extended local Wayane facism.
I swear, if you have a chance to vote in America and don’t register I never want to hear you complain about the lack of Democracy in Ethiopia or the government back home. Fookera kale sera tekem yelawem. Stop talking and do something, those of us who can’t vote envy you that can. Leave all the other talk alone and just register.
Girma Belay #6
“Obama is a child of the system that raised him.” you wrote.
Do you mean that if a person is raised in a system he or she will behave identically and similarly just like robots with identical and similar social, political, economical and welfare, etc. outcomes?
For you assumption to be true even Mandela and facist apartheid leader PW Botha of South Africa who were the child of the system wouldn’t have made any difference.
Adolf Hitler’s Nazi German leader and post Hitler German leaders didn’t make any difference because they were the child of the system, and so on.
The existance of military industrial complex does not exclude the framing, formation and implementation of pro people and pro democracy welfare policies.
What is for sure is that Obama is not coming to work for our Ethiopian problem solutions because Ethiopian problems needs to be solved by Ethiopians primarily.
But the democratic party and Obama himself as a chief excutive can set a general positive and favourable over all fertile atmosphere that may favour positive change for the efforts of Ethiopians.
Even for good farming and good abundant harvesting of foods we need abundant rain and fertile farmlands coupled with hardworking, skilled manpower, good seeds and work implements.
Even if you have good farming lands and abundant rains but lack motivated and skilled farmers having enough seeds and work implements, you may keep starving and blaming all else except yourself.
Metaphorically speaking here, treat the democratic party and the rising good OBAMA as an excellent fertile farm land opportunity with abundant rains and good climate.
Then, instead of farming negativities and depressive pessimism in the form of staring at one single red point like Spanish bulls, that is, “military industria complex”
get together in unity within diversity and transform the dehumanized Ethiopian society in to a vibrant and rich garden of EDEN for all its citizens and beyond.
Metaphorically speaking again, this amounts to skilled farming with enough quality and quantity of seeds and farm implements for producing abundant food products.
Don’t just sit back fatalistically and wait for Obama to come and do your share of the job on top of his own, simply because you have have given him one vote, and even crying already before hand that you may not get a sufficiently high enough profitable return on your grand investment.