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/
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