COMMUNITY VOICES | Minnesota Oromo demonstration against killing in Ethiopia

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In the bracing chilly winds Friday morning May 9, 2014, the Oromo community of Minnesota began their 3-day demonstration, hunger strike and 24 hour vigil, seeking to end the killing of innocent people who are oppressed by the Ethopian regime, Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front. “We are together here to voice our opinion against the killing of the students back home in Ethiopia,” said Lalistu Woyesa, a young mother, who along with her children, husband and family, came to show support.  “There are teachers, families, and students who are imprisoned unjustly.  We are showing up here to encourage democratic political change.” At least three Ethiopian regions were represented on the steps of the Minnesota State Capital at the demonstration: Gambella, Ogaden and Oromia.  The approximately 250 people gathered in the early morning, were led in multi-denomination prayer. More demonstrators continued to arrive into the afternoon. Mr. Merga, an Oromian-American for 17 years, came to draw attention to the senseless killings. Continue Reading

Killings in Ethiopia outrage Minnesota’s Oromo community

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Members of Minnesota’s Oromo community plan to rally Friday in St. Paul and are calling for a hunger strike to mourn the deaths of student demonstrators gunned down last week by Ethiopian security forces in Addis Ababa.Oromo students and others in Ethiopia have been protesting since April 26 a plan to develop the capital Addis Ababa, saying the proposal will displace farmers in the city outskirts, erase significant landmarks and dismantle the rich culture and identity of the ethnic Oromo people. Because the Oromia region surrounds Addis Ababa, an expansion of the city will mean a further blow to the region and its people, who have been marginalized for decades, they say.Addis Ababa city officials argue the plan will develop and improve the city — one of the fastest growing cities in Africa — and its surrounding suburbs.Thousands of people, mostly university students, took their anger and frustration to the streets of Addis Ababa to express their disapproval of the plan unveiled in April. The ongoing demonstration erupted in violence May 1, the day U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Ethiopia as part of a tour of Africa.There are conflicting reports about casualties, with government officials saying the death toll has grown to 11 and witnesses counting nearly 50 dead.Community Sketchbook focuses on the economic and social challenges facing communities, especially low-income communities and communities of color, and how people are trying to address them. It is made possible by sponsorship support from The Minneapolis Foundation. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | Statement of the Igbo Women League of Minnesota regarding the abduction of over 200 school girls from their school in Chibok, Bornno State, Nigeria

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The Igbo Women League of Minnesota (IWL) strongly condemns the abduction, by a militant group, of over 200, 12 to 17 year old girls from their school dormitory in Chibok, Borno State, in Nigeria on the night of April 14, 2014. Acts like this are not only criminal, but they are also inhumane and violate the victims’ basic human rights.IWL has dedicated over 20 years to the cause of girl-child education in Nigeria in different ways including offering scholarships to girls from low income families. These violent attacks, if not checked, will undoubtedly adversely affect the current efforts, made by many, to encourage and sustain the education of girls in Nigeria.  As the UN Secretary General has stated in reaction to the abduction, “Schools are and must remain places of safety and security, where children can learn and grow in peace. Girls and young women must be allowed to go to school without fear of violence and unjust treatment so that they can play their rightful role as equal citizens of the world.”We urge the people who abducted these children to immediately release them so they can be returned to their parents. We are calling on the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to do the right thing. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | The untold story of the Iran nuclear scare will be told in the Twin Cities this week

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This is shortly before talks between the P5+1 (The five permanent members of the UN Security Council: U.S., China, Russia, France, Britain + Germany) and Iran resume May 13, to be concluded in June. In the Twin Cities, Porter will examine the premise they are based on. He is the author of the Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, published in 2014 (Just World Books). Gareth Porter will address his findings based on an intensive dissection of allegations about Iran’s nuclear program. Porter is “the most conscientious follower of the fantasy danger of Iran’s purported ‘nuclear weapons program,’” according to Iran expert William O. Beeman, a University of Minnesota professor.Gareth Porter, the 2012 recipient of the prestigious London-based Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, an award presented to a journalist who reveals “an unpalatable truth, validated by powerful facts.” (Julian Assange received the award in 2011 for Wikileaks) will be in the Twin Cities Wednesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 8, to talk about the Iran nuclear scare.As an historian and investigative journalist, Porter has been examining U.S. foreign policy, military and security issues regarding the Middle East and Afghanistan, as well as writing on the Philippines, Korea, Cambodia, and Viet Nam. Continue Reading

#OromoProtests | Peaceful protests in Ethiopia met by violent state action

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Dozens of students are killed by Ethiopian military forces following peaceful student demonstrations against the government’s Addis expansion plan that would encroach into Oromia state. Protesters want to retain a political and cultural identity within Oromia state. When implemented these expansions will threaten the livelihoods and independence of the Oromo peoples. [Audio below]

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‘In Praise of a Goddess’: Empowerment through information for Indian girls

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Global citizenship is a keystone of Macalester education and I, like many students here, strive to connect this idea of global citizenship to my academic endeavors and other engagements on campus. When I graduate, one thing is for certain: I want to leave a lasting impact on the global community and make the world a better place for those who are marginalized in our world. I hope to work in the area of global health in the future and am particularly interested in pursuing a career exploring the intersection between global health and women’s empowerment. I’ve been passionate about women’s empowerment for a very long time, and growing up partly in India only stoked that fervor. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | A joint response to Chue Feng Vang’s tragic death: Let’s find better solutions to end family violence

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No community is shielded from family violence. The most recent tragedy in Maplewood where Pang Vang killed his son Chue Feng Vang, affirms this. The Vang family fell through the cracks of the Hmong and American systems meant to serve them. We can’t afford to wait for the next tragedy.We believe one necessary ingredient to developing better solutions is for leaders, service providers, and systems to better understand the problem and the context of the people who are impacted.The media coverage and responses thus far to the tragedy of Chue Feng Vang’s death magnifies the misunderstanding of what contributes to family violence and how it is experienced in Hmong American families.The over simplification of a father who kills his son over a cable bill, and the quick finger pointing often silences the many Hmong families who are suffering. It also perpetuates a culture that New American communities are not and will not be understood by the larger society. Continue Reading