(August 09, 2011, (Seattle, Washington))--America's Ethiopian community has grown quickly since the 1980s and one of its hubs is the northwestern state of Washington. Yet, even though they live a half world away from Ethiopia, these immigrants are still influenced by politics back home.
Differences
In the middle of Seattle, a group of Ethiopian immigrants plays dominos at a community center for the city's Tigray immigrants - one of the many ethnic groups from Ethiopia. Many people come to hang out at the lively place which has a bar inside. Similar community centers for other East African ethnic groups are practically within walking distance of each other.
Washington State's Ethiopian community is vibrant and growing, with anywhere from 10,000-40,000 people. No one knows exactly how many, since many don’t participate in census counts or don’t report their ancestry. But the population is diverse, mirroring the variety of ethnicities, languages, religions and division in their homeland.
“Those social divisions sometimes also translate to political divisions because if you belong to a certain ethnic group you are automatically perceived or in reality you support a certain political ideology or grouping,” says Shakespear Feyissa, who came to America as teenager and is now a lawyer in Seattle. Read more from Voice of America »
Differences
In the middle of Seattle, a group of Ethiopian immigrants plays dominos at a community center for the city's Tigray immigrants - one of the many ethnic groups from Ethiopia. Many people come to hang out at the lively place which has a bar inside. Similar community centers for other East African ethnic groups are practically within walking distance of each other.
Washington State's Ethiopian community is vibrant and growing, with anywhere from 10,000-40,000 people. No one knows exactly how many, since many don’t participate in census counts or don’t report their ancestry. But the population is diverse, mirroring the variety of ethnicities, languages, religions and division in their homeland.
“Those social divisions sometimes also translate to political divisions because if you belong to a certain ethnic group you are automatically perceived or in reality you support a certain political ideology or grouping,” says Shakespear Feyissa, who came to America as teenager and is now a lawyer in Seattle. Read more from Voice of America »
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