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Rep. Keith Ellison meets with East African
community, encourages political activism |
By Boa Lee -
Sun Newspapers
(Created: Wednesday, March
26, 2008 9:34 PM CDT) |
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A woman
listens
to U.S.
Rep.
Keith
Ellison,
DFL-Minnesota,
speak
Monday,
March
17, at
Willey
Hall on
the
University
of
Minnesota
campus.
Ellison
spoke
about
problems
and
solutions
to war
and
famine
in East
Africa.
Behind
her,
someone
holds
the
Ogaden
flag.
Ogaden
is in
the
eastern
part of
Ethiopia.
(BOA LEE
- SUN
NEWSPAPERS) |
|
East
African immigrants want
the United States and
the United Nations to
intervene in their
homelands, where war and
famine are daily
realities not widely
known to mainstream
society.
Local immigrant leaders,
at a forum Monday, March
17, at the University of
Minnesota, say the
situation in the Horn of
Africa has worsened,
displacing millions of
people and killing
innocent civilians.
The East African
community spoke with
U.S. Reps. Keith
Ellison, D-Minn., and
Donald Payne, D-N.J.
Ellison represents
Minneapolis and 12
surrounding suburbs.
Payne is chairman of the
Subcommittee on Africa
and Global Health.
The congressmen
responded with their own
challenge - get active.
More than 63,600 African
immigrants live in
Minnesota - the ninth
largest concentration in
the nation, according to
a 2006 American
Community Survey.
Although most come from
West Africa, a large
number in Minnesota are
from East Africa
-countries like Somalia,
Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The majority of East
Africans live in
Minneapolis or St. Paul
but a growing number are
moving to neighboring
suburbs.
More than 150 community
members from Ogaden
(Ethiopia), Somalia and
Eritrea attended the
March 17 forum to talk
about homeland invasions
by neighboring
countries, human rights
abuses and a lack of
international aid. The
problems, they say, have
devastated East Africa.
Abdulkadir Abdiraham,
chairman of the Somali
Cause in Washington,
D.C., said Somalia
hasn't been as
catastrophic in the past
year, but insisted "we
need a call for
immediate withdrawal" of
Ethiopian forces.
Ethiopia invaded Somalia
in December 2006,
resulting in an ongoing
conflict that has killed
thousands and displaced
millions.
Payne explained the
United States has openly
supported Ethiopia
because the African
nation is an ally in the
war on terrorism.
"That's why the U.S.
didn't say anything on
Ethiopia going into
Somalia," he said,
adding he is working on
legislation to pressure
the Ethiopian government
to end abuses.
Hassan Ali Mohamud,
director of the Dawah
Institute in St. Paul,
said "people are
struggling for life" as
military forces block
the Red Cross and other
aid groups from reaching
civilians who are in
need of food and
medicine.
"Those in East Africa
and Somalia have lost
their international
rights" to life and
justice, he said.
Ellison said the East
African community is
"among the most
important people I get
to represent." He
acknowledged the need to
assist East African
civilians but, along
with Payne, predicts the
progress will be slow.
"The number one problem
in Congress is there
aren't enough [people]
that know enough about
East Africa and can make
the connection between
East Africa and the
United States," said
Ellison, who admitted at
one point that he had
more to learn also about
the issues in that
region.
He urged the East
African community to
keep pressing for help,
suggesting they call on
decision-makers to
support comprehensive
immigration reform to
allow East Africans to
more quickly obtain
permanent resident
status. He also
suggested better
regulation of money
wiring services used by
many East Africans to
send money overseas to
family.
"Be engaged, involved
and a part of the
solution," Ellison said
after the forum.
Comment on this story at
our website,
www.mnsun.com.
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