EAYI Gains a new Vice President and creates Executive Assistant position

http://www.ethusa.org/EAYINewVPandExecutiveAssistant-July5.pdf

EAYI Gains a new Vice President and creates Executive Assistant position

For immediate and public use

list@ethusa.org

Sunday, July 5, 2009

CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA – The Ethiopian American Youth Initiative, a US-based youth organization, is undergoing leadership and structural changes in the coming months, according to Chairman Samuel Gebru.

The current changes to the organization include the recent appointment of a new Vice President as of July 2, 2009. An Ethiopian American, Addisalem Agegnehu has been appointed as the Vice President. She is a rising 12th grade student at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her responsibilities will be to work hand-in-hand with the President of EAYI to accomplish overall managerial tasks.

“My goal for joining this organization is to break down ethnic barriers and as a youth, to be a leader. I hope to be a role model and an example for this generation that is ahead of us and to show them that politics shouldn’t get in the way of us helping and giving back to our wonder country Ethiopia. With this said, I am really honored and humbled with the opportunity and responsibility that is given to me and I am really excited to be taking responsibility to plan and organize the organization’s first annual conference,” said Addisalem.

The newly appointed Vice President intends to continue on the expansion plan of the organization in order to increase the number of branches and enhance the quality of its base. Addisalem comes from a myriad of experience working with the Cambridge Youth Programs, which runs the 5 government-owned youth centers in the City of Cambridge. She is also a current member of the Cambridge Youth Involvement Subcommittee, which is the city’s youth advisory group that seeks to increase youth civic engagement.

In additional news, Eritrean American Messeret Grensai has been appointed to a newly created position, Executive Assistant to the Chairman. She is a rising 11th grade student, also at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Furthermore, Messeret is also a member of the Cambridge Youth Involvement Subcommittee.

On the occasion Samuel Gebru, who also went to Cambridge Rindge and Latin, stated that he is very excited that both Addisalem and Messeret joined EAYI. “I think that its terrific that Addisalem, who contains so many traits perfect for our organization, has joined us. Messeret will be beyond an extra hand for the numerous tasks we have to complete. I am confident that this decision is appropriate and timely. Additionally, I have had the chance to personally and professionally work with both of them for many years.”

The position of Executive Assistant to the Chairman was created to help alleviate certain responsibilities and projects that have been responsible to Samuel as the Chairman and President. Moreover, Vice President Addisalem has made it clear that she is wholly committed to the future of the organization and ensuring its sustainability.

Both Addisalem Agegnehu and Messeret Grensai, two dynamic young women, have taken their positions effective July 2, 2009 after extensive meetings with the Chairman.

EAYI to create Ethiopian Calendars for New Year!

News Alert: The Ethiopian American Youth Initiative (EAYI), a US-based organization for youth, is planning to create an Ethiopian/American calendar. The calendar will correspond with the Ethiopic dating system which begins on September 11, Ethiopian New Year (Meskerem 1 in Ethiopia's calendar). We plan to release a calendar that will incorporate both the Gregorian Calendar, which most of the world uses, and the Ethiopic Calendar, a unique calendar that only Ethiopia uses, which keeps the country roughly 7 years, 9 months and 11 days behind the world.

Right now, it is 2001 in Ethiopia. The calendar will feature photos of Ethiopian and American children modeling, wearing traditional Ethiopian clothing. "Over the summer we will be working hard to head efforts organize photo shoots, create and print these calendars for distribution," said Orion Netsanet, head of EAYI's Grand Rapids Branch. The project will be overseen by EAYI's members in Grand Rapids, and according to the EAYI Chairman, Samuel Gebru, the calendars will be complete and ready for distribution nationwide on September 10, one day before Ethiopia's New Year.

Email info@ethusa.org for more information.

Continued blogging

As a part of my position at the McGovern campaign I will continue to blog frequently about the main topic of this blog, Ethiopia and everything associated with it, but I will also add blogs on current things happening in the political scene surrounding the School Committee election as well as particularly our campaign.

My political career begins, it happens to be in Cbridge

This year is election year in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Cambridge is the city I have grown up all my life and my current place of residence until the fall. Its a terrific city with a school system that is producing top-notch students who are going off to great frontiers. The elected bodies in Cambridge are the City Council and School Committee. The City Council is composed of 9 city councillors who are elected for a 2-year, repeatable term. Out of the 9, the councillors themselves select the Mayor. The City Council is in charge of running the city, alongside with the very powerful City Manager who manages the budget. On the other hand, the School Committee is in charge of running the Cambridge Public Schools District, a school system I'm a product of. The School Committee is composed of 6(+1) members. The 6 members are elected to the Committee itself and the 7th member is the Chairperson who is by default the Mayor, an official who ran for the City Council, not School Committee.

This year, School Committee Vice Chairperson Marc McGovern reached out to me to help advise his re-election campaign. I've accepted the offer with the title Community Outreach Director. Marc is a full-time social worker who is especially known for the terrific and sincere work he does with students with special needs, the population that has historically been significantly under-serviced in the education system nationwide. He's served two terms, 4 years, separated by a defeat in the middle that only came since he didn't receive as many #1 votes needed since all his supporters believed he was locked-in to winning either way and that their particular vote wouldn't help him as much. As COD my responsibilities include managing the volunteers (the Street Team and Phone Bank), continuing to build and enhance upon established relationships and ties with other people and unions as well as to forge new ones, to strategically attract the 18-35 year old population of the city to come out and vote--something particularly interesting since we have hordes of Harvard and MIT students that are in fact registered to vote in Cambridge but choose to only participate in federal elections since Cambridge's public school system, and city politics, seem irrelevant to them.

I'm quite honored that Marc reached out to me and am very happy that this comes at a time I'm also heading off onto new frontiers myself. This campaign will give me an unparalleled amount of experience in helping manage local elections, work on public relations and it will work to increase my tangible experience in public service and politics. Previously I volunteered for City Council member Marjorie Decker in 2007 in her successful re-election bid.

Graduation Cookout!

Me and my lovely cousin Azeb. We co-hosted our high school graduation cookout.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Boston, MA

The Ark: Once again, Ethiopians too quick to judge

Samuel Gebru

When it was said that the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Paulos I, was planning to reveal the Ark of the Covenant to the world, adherents of the Ethiopian Church were completely outraged.

Patriarch Paulos was in the Vatican to meet with the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope Benedict. In a press conference, Italian media reported that the Patriarch stated that he personally saw the Ark of the Covenant, along with a select few others, and that he plans to once and for all attest to the world that Ethiopia is the repository of the Ark.

According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's tradition the Ark of the Covenant, the most revered holy relic in history, is in the northern Ethiopian holy city of Axum. It was during the Axumite Empire that the Ark was taken to Ethiopia by King Menelik, son of King Solomon of Jerusalem and the Queen of Sheba, Makeda (c. 500-1000 B.C.). Ethiopian accounts recall that Menelik was in Jerusalem to visit his father when he had a vision from God that the Ark should go to Axum, in which he immediately took the Ark with him alongside with a massive entourage of Jews assembled by his father, Solomon. The Ark, which contains the 10 Commandments, is the subject of fanatics like Spielberg's Indiana Jones who have for centuries and millennia entertained the idea that the "lost Ark" can be found.

Apparently Italian media either misquoted or misinterpreted the Patriarch's statement, saying that his intentions were to reveal the Ark to the world. The Old Testament is filled with a myriad of warnings and rules surrounding the Ark that would suggest that the Patriarch's statements would completely fall against God's instructions to Moses and the Levites, who watched over the Holy of Holies, the Tabernacle. The Ethiopian Church has its own set of traditions around the Ark. For instance, every Church is required to have, in the Holies of Holies, a replica of the 10 Commandments, called "Tabot," which is to only be seen by the Head Priest of the Parish Church and given to him by the jurisdiction's Archbishop. The Tabot comes out of the Holy of Holies during select holidays such as Epiphany, celebrating the Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan, and also the Annual Feast date of the particular Church's Patron Saint.

The actual Ark is held in a small, gated chapel in the compound of the Saint Mary of Zion Cathedral in Axum. A monk who is appointed for life, and appoints his successor in his dying breath guards the Ark full-time. To my knowledge, only this monk would see the Ark, as he was its 24/7 protector, but according to the Patriarch's comments, this is not the case, and a select few, not an individual, can see the Ark, including him. The Ark used to come out of the chapel until recently. However, since the object is so holy, it is draped and completely covered in elaborate coverings when taken out of the Holy of Holies. This applies to the replicas, the Tabot, too.

Understandably the Patriarch's misquoted comments alarmed the Ethiopian Orthodox Church faithful who adamantly believes that the Ark is in fact in Ethiopia. Seemingly interesting and paradoxical was the Patriarch's comments 10 years ago to Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.:

"No, faith does not go well with scientific proof. We don't doubt it, that it is here, in our place. We don't have to prove it to anyone. You want to believe, it's your privilege. If you don't want to believe, it's your own privilege again...It is here and we believe it."

-Patriarch Paulos of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Wonders of the African World BBC/PBS Documentary, 1999

Ethiopians throughout the world left snarling comments towards the Patriarch and once again questioned his frail legitimacy. A mere look at the popular Ethiopian blog www.nazret.com shows hundreds of comments full of hate and insults.

I'll admit, at first I was completely appalled but I had hesitated to blog about this topic until right now because it did seem suspicious to a friend of mine and myself that no Ethiopian press outlet within Ethiopia or even the foreign press corps in Ethiopia had reported about it. A mere report by an Italian news agency relayed by an Israeli news agency signaled to Ark hunters and Bible enthusiasts that the Patriarch was audacious enough to reveal the actual Ark in a planned museum in Axum, Ethiopia.

It is disappointing to see that once again, the usual cyber warriors have been too quick to judge. The vengeful comments made over the past two days have exhibited an unflattering reality of many Ethiopians that we as a people need to fix. Culturally we are a skeptical people but bashing others and complete irreverence to Church Fathers has to stop, it is sadly un-Ethiopian.

There's a plethora of Ethiopians who have been too quick to pass judgment about every single topic without doing their homework. Correcting the media today, Patriarch Paulos was surprised that everyone thought his intentions were to reveal the actual Ark. Rightfully so, the Patriarch stated that the Ark is a mystery, an object of worship and is not up for display.

I'll end with the first quote from the original www.nazret.com posting:

Comment from: Moralize-a [Visitor]

The deepest depth of unelected fascist tplf thugs vulgarism is that of setting up the oldest and sacerd ark of the covenant as money grabbing merchandise.

Death to unelected nefsegeday fascist tplf !!!

stand up!!!rise up!!!

support Ginbot 7!!!

BEKA!

06/25/09 @ 11:39

Meles is a liability for the party?

"The EPRDF has done some good work over the years, and with some improvements, can even hope to one day gain the full confidence of the Ethiopian public. But for that to happen, there has to be a change of leadership. Meles Zenawi is a burden that the EPRDF can no longer afford to carry."

...An interesting article, read it here.

Barbarianism at its best!

Check out this sick and mind boggling article about Somalia's hardline Islamists essentially decapitating their fellow country people: here. This is exactly the reason why they must go!

Will Ethiopia's PM step down?

They say that the foundation of a good retirement is planning. By that measure, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi should have his rest period well laid out. The rebel-turned-leader has been saying he wants to step aside for almost two years now...read more by Barry Malone of Reuters here

Michael Jackson passes away at 50

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson passed away about an hour ago. All sources - CNN, AP, LA Times, CBS, etc. - report and confirm his death. Michael Jackson is an amazing, iconic figure who will be deeply remembered and missed.

"What he gave us was his talent," Larry King.

Ethiopia has its own connection with Michael Jackson. In the infamously remembered famine of 1984, Ethiopia was a lime light of the Live Aid efforts. Michael Jackson authored, along with Lionel Richie, "We Are The World," which inspired the social movement that pushed for more involvement in the lives of the less fortunate. He was truly a pioneer that led movements through his music. "We Are The World" pushed other music stars to mutually inspire each other and their fans to contribute to the relief efforts to the famine in Ethiopia. That collaborative song through the breath of Michael's talent and commitment to social issues helped people in Ethiopia and inspired the movement of Live Aid that redefined grassroots involvement in relief efforts.

Rest in Peace Michael Jackson!

Careful consideration

"We believe the deployment of Ethiopian troops would be unwarranted because we are not convinced there is a clear and present danger to Ethiopia," he said.

In a Reuters article today, PM Meles Zenawi was careful to reply in a press conference, stating [above] that his government wasn't too ready to redeploy. His consideration of Ethiopian security priorities is very commendable giving importance to more immediate threats on the homeland. Maintaining security in Ethiopia is a daunting task considering all the instability in the Horn of Africa and even internally.

Gotera's Up and Running

So the Gotera Interchange, Addis Ababa's newest landmark, was officially inaugurated a few days ago. Although the interchange opened on May 1 for business, the June 1 inauguration was decked with senior Ethiopian Government officials and representatives of the Chinese Government.

This encouraging development is going to ease the traffic hurdles of Addis Ababa. Formerly known as "Confusion Square," Gotera Interchange has drastically changed the way Addis Ababans will drive. Seemingly interesting was also the Government's decision to create the "Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Square" to honor Ethiopia's various ethnic groupings. The square, alongside with the whole interchange and the train crossing will provide an ultra modern feel to Addis Ababa while at the same time alleviating some of the complications that used to occur in Confusion Square!

However, as Addis Fortune accurately pointed out, civilians themselves will need to learn how to treat your own public infrastructure. Lately people have been walking on the bridge in otherwise illegal areas where only vehicles are supposed to operate. This public safety hazard is something Addis Ababa's Government is going to have to look into.

Gotera's opening is very exciting though. The Government's well-planned implementation of this project, alongside with the all-too-familiar Chinese backing, has come up with this wonderful interchange that is not only aesthetically pleasing, its also planned to be very effective and efficient in time and in the amount of accidents per year.

If you've ever driven on the roads of Addis, you will know one major thing: driving in Ethiopia is QUITE the experience! Go Gotera!