Turtle Island to Ethiopia

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January 15 2014 • Writing about these experiences here is not simple. I am looking through eyes that were shaped by the history of being born in this lifetime on Turtle Island (North America). One of my Ethiopian-Italian cousins remarked that I looked like a Brazilian. I translated that to mean that she was seeing my African, Indigenous Native American and European bloodlines in my being. All of that makes me who I am, culturally, politically and spiritually, despite Bob Marley’s One Drop. I celebrate a river of Africana in me. Continue Reading

Fast tracking a corporate agenda

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The U.S. trade debate shifted into high gear yesterday with the introduction of Congressional bills to fast track trade deals. If approved, this would give the administration the authority to negotiate trade deals behind closed doors and then submit the resulting agreements to Congress for an up or down vote, with very limited debate and no possibility of amendments. Unions, environmental organizations and many other civil society groups immediately denounced the bill as undemocratic and out of date. Some 151 Democrats issued a letter last week expressing opposition to the bill, so its passage is far from assured. Continue Reading

Moving 8,000 Miles, going to college, and becoming an adult

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Moving away from home was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do in my life. For some people it was easy. They were already independent and couldn’t wait to explore college life. I was excited for college, but when I got there I felt so homesick that I couldn’t understand what had spurred me to go to college abroad in the first place. Even though I was excited for all the offerings of college, I never realized that transitioning into college life would be so hard for me. Continue Reading

Black fire

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In 1972 across a crowded room I saw a young Ethiopian woman and felt a roaring flame in the middle of my chest. It terrified me and I almost immediately doused the fire with rationality and with the comforting thought that I wouldn’t have to see her again. Fate often has other plans in store. One day I stopped to see an Eritrean friend who had a shop on Lake & Hennepin, The Ethiopian Exquisite. I walked in one day and she eagerly introduced me to her cousin, the very young woman I was trying to avoid. Continue Reading