By Teddy Fikre
Every time there is an Ethiopians for Obama event, it seems that at least one person asks the invariable questions: “Why should Ethiopians support Obama?” The question has profound implications, because it rests on the premise that a candidate has to cater to every ethnic group, every religion, and every orientation. In this way, the question is really a perpetuation of the divided landscape we find ourselves in today. This question begs for the continuation and of the deep divides that are evident in our community and so many communities throughout the world.
My answer to this question is not a litany of specific policies that cater only to one country or one ethnic group. To the contrary, it is an articulation of universal goals that are near and dear to all, irrespective of race, religion, or creed. The common hopes of all mankind are unencumbered by the boundaries of micro-targeted policy initiatives. Specific policies and initiatives that cater only to a certain group of people could–by extension–exclude others. The aim is bring people together under the broad umbrella of democracy and equality.
The initiatives that Obama espouses, and which I support whole heartedly, are those of democracy, opportunity for every child, respect for human rights, and changing the political discourse that has made it reflexive for us to view those with opposing view points as adversaries. This is the change that Obama stands for, a change borne out of the hope that enabled him to succeed while navigating life without the guiding hand of a father. Some might see this idea of hope and change as nothing more than platitude. However, most of Ethiopians came to American with nothing more than hope and with the desire for a change. We took this undiminished hope and our determination for change and became part of the United States success story and a part of the American dream.
So the question is not what will Obama do for us. The question should be what will we do for ourselves. Ethiopian-Americans have the ability–in this election and beyond–to participate fully in this vibrant democracy of ours. We cannot demand of anyone without demanding of ourselves first the simplest of all struggles—voting. We cannot bemoan the lack of democracy elsewhere when we don’t participate in the birthplace of democracy here. We have no right to complain about a lack of opportunity anywhere when we don’t take on every opportunity that we have here. It is easy to look externally for the answers that we can find within.
It is for these reasons that Ethiopians for Obama strives to encourage everyone to register and vote. We live here in untold numbers; no one knows how many Ethiopians live in America. Some say thousands and others say hundreds of thousands. The truth is we don’t really know, and without knowing our numbers, we simply don’t count. Moreover, without voting, we won’t be heard. It is up to us to be the change that we have been waiting for. No longer should we ask what someone would do for us when we don’t know what it is that we will do for ourselves.
Ethiopians for Obama is a group of hundreds of Ethiopians who have supported and continue to support Senator Obama because in him we see a way for our own destiny with unity. We work together from coast to coast, boarder to boarder, in every state where Ethiopian-Americans call home. We are not lead by anyone but we are our own leaders. We are a decentralized group who believe that change occurs not from the top down but from the bottom up.
The grassroots passion that made Obama’s improbable journey possible is the same passion that motivates us to register our fellow Ethiopian-American. There is no president or chair of Ethiopians for Obama; we are all leaders of this vibrant group. Every Ethiopian who supports Obama in effect is a member of Ethiopians for Obama, in that way, we are all founders of Ethiopians for Obama. Thus, the question starts with us, and the answer will end with us. Once we arrive at that answer, we can then ask—with our registered voice and our votes—what is it others will do for us.