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There is a large Ethiopian American community in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. According to the Embassy of Ethiopia, this was the largest ethnic Ethiopian community outside of Africa.Westley, Brian.
Washington: Nation's Largest Ethiopian Community Carves Niche
(). '' Associated Press'' at the ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''. October 17, 2005. Also:
Washington: Nation's Largest Ethiopian Community Carves Niche
" ''Associated Press'' at ''
The Southeast Missourian ''The Southeast Missourian'' is a 3 day per week newspaper published in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and serves (as the name implies) the southeastern portion of Missouri. History The paper began publication on October 3, 1904 as ''The Daily Rep ...
''. October 23, 2005. p. 7C. Retrieved on September 3, 2014.


History

Ethiopians began settling Washington, D.C. after the
Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...
overthrew
Emperor of Ethiopia The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century until the abolition ...
Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia ('' ...
in 1974.Kravitz, Derek. "Young parking lot czar is the face of Ethiopian success in the D.C. area." ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nat ...
''. Monday August 16, 2010. p
1
Retrieved on September 3, 2014.
Ethiopians moved to
Adams Morgan Adams Morgan is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., centered at the intersection of 18th Street NW and Columbia Road, about 1.5 miles (2.54 km) north of the White House. Notable establishments in the neighborhood include t ...
in the 1980s.Wax, Emily.
Ethiopian Yellow Pages: Life, by the book
" ''The Washington Post''. June 8, 2011. Retrieved on September 3, 2014.
Adams Morgan served as a center of business of the Ethiopian community. In the mid-1990s many Ethiopians began moving to the U Street area. Many moved out of Adams Morgan to other areas after rent became increasingly expensive. The campaign to officially designate the U Street area as Little Ethiopia started around 2004. Elizabeth Chacko, the author of "Translocality in Washington, D.C. and Addis Ababa," stated that the Ethiopian community wanted the Little Ethiopia in Washington, D.C. because the city is the capital of the United States.Chacko, "Translocality in Washington, D.C. and Addis Ababa," p
169
This campaign was not successful. The author added that at that time, the Ethiopian area in
Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. Th ...
had a higher concentration of Ethiopians compared to the one in Washington, D.C. In 2004 the Mayor of Washington, D.C. signed the DC Language Access Act, which provided government services in five non-English languages including
Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
. The Ethiopians were among the groups campaigning for this act.Chacko, "Africans in Washington, DC," p
253


Demographics

According to the
2010 U.S. Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serv ...
, there were 30,000 Ethiopian immigrants in the Washington, D.C. area, making up 20% of the total number of Ethiopian immigrants throughout the country. The Ethiopian American Constituency Foundation and the Ethiopian Community Development Council stated that the figure is wrong and, as paraphrased by Derek Kravitz of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nat ...
'', "the local figure has a history of being underreported and probably tops 100,000". Yeshimebeth T. "Mama Tutu" Belay, an area businessperson, estimated that the population in the metropolitan area was about 250,000 as of 2010. Misty Showalter of
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
stated "other estimates are much lower."Showalter, Misty.
Inside Washington D.C.'s 'Little Ethiopia'
(). ''
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
''. October 22, 2010. Retrieved on September 2, 2014.
''Washington 101: An Introduction to the Nation's Capital'' states that "One common estimate is that 200,000 Ethiopians reside in the D.C. metropolitan area." According to the
2000 U.S. Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
there were 15,000 in the Washington, D.C. area., but the Ethiopian embassy stated that the actual number is closer to 200,000, and Brian Westley of ''The Washington Post'' stated "those who study African immigration" told him the same thing that the Ethiopian embassy told him.
Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...
also has a large Ethiopian and Ethiopian American population, restaurants, and businesses.


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 The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
. It is known for its concentration of Ethiopian businesses and residents. Since the 1980s, Ethiopian-born business owners have been purchasing property in the neighborhood of Shaw, specifically Thirteenth and Ninth Streets. 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.


Geography

Ethnic Ethiopian populations are found in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
, as well as in many communities in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
and
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to it ...
.Chacko, "Africans in Washington, DC," p
246
Washington, D.C. communities with ethnic Ethiopian residents include
Adams Morgan Adams Morgan is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., centered at the intersection of 18th Street NW and Columbia Road, about 1.5 miles (2.54 km) north of the White House. Notable establishments in the neighborhood include t ...
, Brightwood, and Columbia Heights. There is a Little Ethiopia in
Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada * Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England * Shaw, Berkshire, a village * Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton * Shaw, Swindon, a suburb of Swindon ...
.Lee, Trymaine.
As Black Population Declines In Washington D.C., Little Ethiopia Thrives
(). ''
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''. Retrieved on September 2, 2014.
Areas in Virginia with ethnic Ethiopian residents include
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
,
Arlington County Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
, Fairfax,
Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...
, and
Falls Church Falls Church is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Washington metropolitan area. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Churc ...
. Within Fairfax County, Ethiopian communities are present in areas such as Annandale, Springfield, and
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
. Misty Showalter of
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
described the Alexandria Ethiopian community as "a second unofficial Little Ethiopia". As of 2006, some Ethiopians moved to Woodbridge,
Prince William County Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manas ...
and Sterling,
Loudoun County Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun C ...
during an increase of prices of real estate and rent rates in the area.Chacko, "Africans in Washington, DC," p
246247
As of 2010, some Ethiopian businesses had opened in Skyline, Falls Church. In Maryland, Ethiopians have settled in Montgomery County and
Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...
. Communities in the former which have received Ethiopians include Silver Spring, and
Takoma Park Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City", is a Tree C ...
. In the latter, the communities are
Greenbelt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which ha ...
, Clinton, District Heights, Fort Washington, Oxon Hill, and Upper Marlboro.


Institutions

The Ethiopian Community Center, Inc. (ECC, am, የኢትዮጵያ ሕብረተሰብ ማዕከል), headquartered in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
, was established in 1980. The Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC), headquartered in
Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
, promotes increased socioeconomic standing, culture, and education in the community and resettles refugees.Chacko, "Africans in Washington, DC," p
250
The ECDC provided loans to 700 persons wishing to own businesses in a nine-year period ending in 2011; these loans totalled almost $4.5 million. The ECDC was established in 1983. 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
Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada * Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England * Shaw, Berkshire, a village * Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton * Shaw, Swindon, a suburb of Swindon ...
. Ethiocorps, an organization which recruits area Ethiopian Americans to volunteer in Ethiopia, was established in 2004. 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. The area has Ethiopian-owned Ethiopian restaurants and Ethiopian-owned non-Ethiopian restaurants. In 2011 "Mama Tutu" Belay stated that many Ethiopian restaurants had opened in the
Petworth Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east–west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twel ...
area of Washington DC,
Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
, and the downtown area of
Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...
. In addition as of 2013 there are about 25 doctors of Ethiopian and Eritrean background in the Baltimore-Washington area, as well as Ethiopian-owned travel agencies, taxi companies, and parking garages.Francis, E. Aracelis. "Social Work Practice with African-Descent Immigrants" (Chapter 4). In: Balgopal, Pallassana R. ''Social Work Practice with Immigrants and Refugees'' (Foundations of Social Work Knowledge Series). Columbia University Press, August 13, 2013. , 9780231504188. Start page: 127. CITED: p
136
As of 2010 many Ethiopians work as taxi drivers and parking attendants. The United States offices of
Ethiopian Airlines Ethiopian Airlines (commonly referred to as Ethiopian; am, የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገድ, translit=Ye-Ītyōṗṗyā āyer menged), formerly ''Ethiopian Air Lines'' (EAL), is the flag carrier of Ethiopia, and is wholly owned by t ...
are in
Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. Th ...
.


Media

The DC area has Ethiopian newspapers, including '' Ze Ethiopia''.Brulliard, Karin. "A Sharp Eye On Ethiopia." ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nat ...
''. Tuesday February 6, 2007. p
3
Retrieved on September 3, 2014.
The ''Ethiopian Yellow Pages'' ( am, የኢትዮጵያ የሎው ፔጅስ) is published in Alexandria, Virginia, and the headquarters of the publication is in
Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada * Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England * Shaw, Berkshire, a village * Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton * Shaw, Swindon, a suburb of Swindon ...
, Washington, D.C. It has over 1,000 pages of content. As of 2011 Yeshimebeth T. "Mama Tutu" Belay is the publisher and her husband Yehunie Belay assists her. "Mama Tutu" Belay began the publication around 1994 by compiling lists of area businesses. In 2007 there were plans to create an Ethiopian television network in Alexandria.Brulliard, Karin. "A Sharp Eye On Ethiopia." ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nat ...
''. Tuesday February 6, 2007. p
1
Retrieved on September 3, 2014.


Religion

Due to the large Ethiopian and Jewish populations in Washington, D.C. and Silver Spring, the Greater Washington metropolitan area is home to a sizeable community of
Beta Israel The Beta Israel ( he, בֵּיתֶא יִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Bēteʾ Yīsrāʾēl''; gez, ቤተ እስራኤል, , modern ''Bēte 'Isrā'ēl'', EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "House of Israel" or "Community of Israel"), also known as Ethiopian Jews ...
(
Ethiopian Jews The Beta Israel ( he, בֵּיתֶא יִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Bēteʾ Yīsrāʾēl''; gez, ቤተ እስራኤል, , modern ''Bēte 'Isrā'ēl'', EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "House of Israel" or "Community of Israel"), also known as Ethiopian Jews ...
and largely they're Orthodox Christians.


Recreation

The Ethiopian Expo is held in Washington, D.C. every year. It is organized by "Mama Tutu" Belay.


Legacy

The novel '' The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears'' by
Dinaw Mengestu Dinaw Mengestu (ዲናው መንግስቱ) (born 30 June 1978) is an Ethiopian-American novelist and writer. In addition to three novels, he has written for ''Rolling Stone'' on the war in Darfur, and for '' Jane Magazine'' on the conflict in nor ...
is about an Ethiopian who moved to Washington, D.C. to get
political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another enti ...
.


Notable residents

* Yehunie Belay (singer) * Tamagne Beyene (entertainer) * Nebiyu Eyassu (author and journalist) *
Kelela Kelela Mizanekristos ( am, ከለላ ሚዛነክርስቶስ; born June 3, 1983) is an American singer. She made her debut in the music industry with the release of her 2013 mixtape ''Cut 4 Me.'' In 2015, she released ''Hallucinogen'', an EP ...
(R&B singer and songwriter)


See also

* History of Ethiopian Americans in Baltimore


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''. Global Academic Publishing, September 1, 2010. , 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''. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., November 28, 2012. , 9781409490005. Start page p. 163.


Notes


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 Review'' 95:2 (2005), 211. *
Little Ethiopia: African diaspora who call US capital home
" ''
BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
''. 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)


Ethiopian Yellow Pages
{{Ethiopian Americans by location American people of Ethiopian descent Ethiopian-American history Ethiopian-Jewish culture in the United States
Ethiopians Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
History of Washington, D.C.