09.25.09. Where Will You Be?

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Numbers are important and Ethiopian-Americans for Change, formerly Ethiopians for Obama, is taking the initial steps of making the Ethiopian community within the United States ‘count’.

During the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, the diligent work of Ethiopian-Americans for Change (then Ethiopians for Obama) earned a great deal of attention. Newspapers and online publications such as The Washington Post and The Huffington Post wrote about the group’s effort in working to elect Barack Obama. Obama’s campaign also acknowledged the work of the group in the form of a first letter ever written by a presidential candidate directly to the Ethiopian community.

Back after months of planning, Ethiopian-Americans for Change is currently in the process of organizing the inaugural Ethiopian-American Appreciation Day in Washington, D.C. to be held on September 25th 2009. Much buzz has been created about this day through a clever internet marketing campaign.

Organizers for the 09.25.09 event are using social websites such as Facebook and Twitter as they slowly roll out details of the occasion. Sponsors include Coca Cola and various businesses. At Salon Revive in Washington, D.C., alimited amount of customers that printed out the special 09.25.09 coupon received an exclusive shampoo and wash for only $09.25. On the day of the event, C. This offer is limited to the first 2 people who present the coupon. Salon Revive is one of DC’s premier hair salons and Ethiopian owned. 09.25.09…will you be there..Almaz Restaurant will cater a four-course dinner for the first 1,000 patrons while Zenebech Injera will provide the injera. Thus far, two Ethiopian performers have committed to taking part in the day’s event – organizers indicate that more information is to come. There are also prizes which include concert tickets for sending out emails spreading the word about the event, and a video ad contest to win a 3G iPhone. More information regarding contests and events will soon be available on the organization’s website (www.ethiopianamericansforchange.org)scheduled for launch in the days to come.

With so many undertakings, the highlight of this event looks to be the Eyasu (Joshua) Generation Award. Through this award, Ethiopian-Americans for Change will celebrate the achievements and contributions Ethiopians have made. The award will be given to 10 recipients making an impact in areas such as technology, science, writing, sports and many more. In order to qualify for this award, participants must be 30 years of age or younger and must have made a significant contribution in their community. As explained to us by a member from Ethiopian-Americans for Change, this age category was chosen in order to encourage and recognize young individuals making a difference while simultaneously motivating the younger generation. The decision to limit the age at 30 is in no way to diminish the countless accomplishments made by Ethiopians who do not fall into the age requirement. Nominees for this award include household names such as Ethiopian long distance track athlete Tirunesh Debebe and those like Dr. Addisu Mesfin, founder of Ethiocorps, and Abezash Tamerat, founder of Artists for Chairty. The Eyasu Generation Award will look to highlight the works of these young Ethiopians and many more. Anyone can submit a nomination by writing three paragraphs about the individual they are nominating or can nominate their selves and send it to info@ethiopiansforchange.com.

As ambitious as the goal of quantifying the many Ethiopians that call the United States home is, with so many supporters and the community behind them, Ethiopian-Americans for Change seems to be up to the challenge. Certainly, 9.25.09 is shaping up to be an event not to be missed.

For more information contact Ethiopian-Americans for Change at info@ethiopiansforchange.com.