ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA — On Sunday, August 10th, over 50 Ethiopians attended the Ethiopians for Obama meeting with Senator Obama’s African-American Constituency Director. The importance of each person’s vote was discussed as well as ways that Ethiopian-Americans can participate in the election by volunteering in registration drives.
The meeting took place at Bahir Dar Ethiopian restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia. Those in attendance were excited to see their fellow Ethiopians organizing such a structured and effective meeting. The message is clear, organizing and participating in the political process is a vital development in our community. The 2008 election marks the political maturation of the Ethiopian-American community. There are tens of thousands of Ethiopians who live in vital battleground states such as Virginia, Minnesota, and Georgia. A robust participation by Ethiopians in these states can be instrumental in helping to elect Senator Obama our next president.
In addition to voting for Sentor Obama, Ethiopian-Americans have an ability to take part in the electoral process on the local and state-wide races. Decisions that have an impact on our lives are most often made on the local and state level. A representative for Congressman Moran–a friend of the Ethiopian community–was in attendance to make this very point. In a state where local and state races often come down to a few hundred votes, the Ethiopian-American vote is vital to ensuring that salient issues in our community are addressed.
Voting is a right which we cannot take lightly. While the Ethiopian community is thriving in America, enough of us are not taking part in the political process by exercising a key right–our vote. Over 50 people attended the meeting to find out ways they can volunteer and help other Ethiopian-Americans to get registered. They left fired up and ready to ensure a record turnout from the Ethiopian-American community on November 4th.
published by ethiopiansforbarackobama.com
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