Ethiopians in Washington, D.C.
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There is a large
History
Ethiopians began settling Washington, D.C. after the Derg overthrew Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie in 1974.[2]
Ethiopians moved to Adams Morgan in the 1980s.[3] Adams Morgan served as a center of business of the Ethiopian community.[4] In the mid-1990s many Ethiopians began moving to the U Street area.[3] Many moved out of Adams Morgan to other areas after rent became increasingly expensive.[5]
The campaign to officially designate the U Street area as
In 2004 the
Demographics
According to the
According to the
Silver Spring, Maryland also has a large Ethiopian and Ethiopian American population, restaurants, and businesses.[9]
Little Ethiopia, Washington, D.C.
Little Ethiopia, a Business and Cultural Community in and sub-division of the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located around 9th and U Street Northwest. It is known for its concentration of Ethiopian businesses and residents.[10][11][12]
Since the 1980s, Ethiopian-born business owners have been purchasing property in the neighborhood of Shaw, specifically Thirteenth and Ninth Streets.[13] The area has since gained distinctive popularity in Washington even outside of the Ethiopian community. According to restaurant owner Tefera Zwedie: "I remember it was if I'm not mistaken somewhere between 2000, 2001 it was something big for us to see one non-Ethiopian coming to the restaurant. Now 95 percent of them are non-Ethiopian." The food has become a main attraction and reason for locals and tourists to commute to Shaw and experience the many local Ethiopian restaurants. This influx of Ethiopians has revitalized the area, prompting members of the Ethiopian American community to lobby the city government to officially designate the block as "Little Ethiopia". Although no legislation was proposed, Shaw residents have expressed opposition to the idea, concerned that such a designation would isolate that area from the historically African-American Shaw.[14]
Geography
Ethnic Ethiopian populations are found in Washington, D.C., as well as in many communities in Virginia and Maryland.[15]
Washington, D.C. communities with ethnic Ethiopian residents include
Areas in Virginia with ethnic Ethiopian residents include
In Maryland, Ethiopians have settled in
Institutions
The Ethiopian Community Center, Inc. (ECC,
The Ethiopian American Constituency Foundation (EACF), which promotes political involvement of the Ethiopian community, was established in 2003. It campaigned for the formal recognition of the Little Ethiopia in
The Embassy of Ethiopia, Washington, D.C. serves the community.
Economy
In 2011 the Ethiopian Community Development Council stated that in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland there were at least 1,200 businesses owned by ethnic Ethiopians.[3]
The area has Ethiopian-owned
In addition as of 2013 there are about 25 doctors of Ethiopian and Eritrean background in the
The United States offices of Ethiopian Airlines are in Alexandria, Virginia.[21]
Media
The DC area has Ethiopian newspapers,[20] including Ze Ethiopia.[22]
The Ethiopian Yellow Pages (
In 2007 there were plans to create an Ethiopian television network in Alexandria.[24]
Religion
Due to the large Ethiopian and Jewish populations in Washington, D.C. and Silver Spring,[25] the Greater Washington metropolitan area is home to sizeable communities of Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) and Ethiopian Muslims. The majority of Ethiopians in the region are Christian, most being Orthodox Christians.
Recreation
The Ethiopian Expo is held in Washington, D.C. every year. It is organized by "Mama Tutu" Belay.[3]
Legacy
The novel
Notable residents
- Yehunie Belay (singer)[3]
- Tamagne Beyene (entertainer)[24]
- Nebiyu Eyassu (author and journalist)[24]
- Kelela (R&B singer and songwriter)
See also
References
- Chacko, Elizabeth. "Africans in Washington, DC: Ethiopian Ethnic Institutions and Immigrant Adjustment." In: Frazier, John W., Joe T. Darden, and Norah F. Henry (editors). The African Diaspora in the United States and Canada at the Dawn of the 21st Century. ISBN 143843684X, 9781438436845. Start page: p. 243.
- Chacko, Elizabeth. "Translocality in Washington, D.C. and Addis Ababa: Spaces and Linkages of the Ethiopian Diaspora in Two Capital Cities" (Chapter 10). In: Datta, Ayona and Katherine Brickell (editors). Translocal Geographies: Spaces, Places, Connections. ISBN 1409490009, 9781409490005. Start page p. 163.
Notes
- ^ The Southeast Missourian. October 23, 2005. p. 7C. Retrieved on September 3, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Kravitz, Derek. "Young parking lot czar is the face of Ethiopian success in the D.C. area." The Washington Post. Monday August 16, 2010. p. 1. Retrieved on September 3, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wax, Emily. "Ethiopian Yellow Pages: Life, by the book." The Washington Post. June 8, 2011. Retrieved on September 3, 2014.
- ISBN 1598842196, 9781598842197. Start p.: 687. Cited: p. 693.
- ^ a b c d Showalter, Misty. "Inside Washington D.C.'s 'Little Ethiopia'" (Archived 2014-11-13 at the Wayback Machine). CNN. October 22, 2010. Retrieved on September 2, 2014.
- ^ a b Chacko, "Translocality in Washington, D.C. and Addis Ababa," p. 169.
- ^ a b Chacko, "Africans in Washington, DC," p. 253.
- ISBN 1137426241, 9781137426246. p. 219.
- ^ Reed, Dan (September 14, 2015). "DC's "Little Ethiopia" has moved to Silver Spring and Alexandria". ggwash.org. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
- ^ "9th and U Street, NW Named Little Ethiopia". PoPville. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
- ^ Council of the District of Columbia. "December 1 2020 LEG agenda - Washington, DC - DC Council (FORTIETH LEGISLATIVE MEETING VIRTUAL MEETING TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020)" (PDF).
- ^ "DC Legislation Information Management System". lims.dccouncil.us. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
- ISSN 0731-0455.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Showalter, Mistry. "Inside Washington D.C.'s 'Little Ethiopia'" CNN. Cable News Network, 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2016
- ^ a b c d Chacko, "Africans in Washington, DC," p. 246.
- ^ Huffington Post. Retrieved on September 2, 2014.
- ^ Chacko, "Africans in Washington, DC," p. 246-247.
- ^ "ethiopia.jpg" (Archived 2014-05-18 at the Wayback Machine).
- ^ a b Chacko, "Africans in Washington, DC," p. 250.
- ^ ISBN 0231504187, 9780231504188. Start page: 127. CITED: p. 136.
- ^ "Ethiopian Airlines Customer Commitment" (Archived 2014-09-22 at the Wayback Machine). Ethiopian Airlines. Retrieved on September 3, 2014. "[...] Ethiopian Airlines, customer refund service, 277 S Washington st., suite 120, Alexandria VA 22 314 for refund cases in USA[...]"
- ^ Brulliard, Karin. "A Sharp Eye On Ethiopia." The Washington Post. Tuesday February 6, 2007. p. 3. Retrieved on September 3, 2014.
- ^ "logo.gif" (Archived 2014-04-08 at the Wayback Machine) Ethiopian Yellow Pages. Retrieved on September 3, 2014.
- ^ a b c Brulliard, Karin. "A Sharp Eye On Ethiopia." The Washington Post. Tuesday February 6, 2007. p. 1. Retrieved on September 3, 2014.
- ^ "Ethiopian Jews Find a Home in Northwest". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
Further reading
- Friedman, Samantha, Audrey Singer, Marie Price, and Ivan Cheung. "Race, Immigrants, and Residence: A New Racial Geography of Washington, D.C." The Geographical Review95:2 (2005), 211.
- "Little Ethiopia: African diaspora who call US capital home." BBC. 11 June 2013.
External links
- Ethiopian Community Center, Inc. (ECC)
- Ethiopian Community Services and Development Council (ECSDC)
- Ethiopian Community Development Council
- Ze Ethiopia Corporation (Media company) - Newspaper
- Ethiopian Yellow Pages Archived 2014-07-26 at the Wayback Machine