Liyah Birru shot and injured her husband after what she says was months of physical abuse. Now she is being processed for deportation to Ethiopia.

The 35-year-old Ethiopian native, who came to the United States in 2014 as a legal resident, has been behind bars since shooting her husband in the back eight months after her arrival. After completing her four-year sentence in state prison, Birru was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prepped for deportation. '

Dr. Gudata Hinika is the chief of trauma and general surgery at California Hospital Medical Center

Hinika came to the United States at the age of 16. He studied at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and has been the chief of trauma and general surgery at CHMC since 2004. 

He founded the organization Ethiopia Health Aid in 2007 after seeing hundreds of people in Oromia die from easily preventable diseases or conditions that could be treated with proper equipment and training. In 2006, 280 children in the area died from dehydration, Hinika said.

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/from-downtown-an-international-medical-mission/article_feb3d964-7ae6-11e8-9fb8-a7a56e1f8c8c.html

Samuel Getachew is class president at Oakland Tech #EthiopiansInCalifornia

Oakland Tech sophomore class president Samuel Getachew, 15, wrote a poem about guns and racism, which he recited on Wednesday morning to cheers on the steps of his school during the March  For Our lives protest.

It's title is "Arms" and the last, and arguably most powerful, line is "when did America fall so in love with the sound of gunshots that she wanted to hear them on her birthday?" 

http://www.ktvu.com/news/when-did-america-fall-so-in-love-with-the-sound-of-gunshots-oakland-tech-student

Yeweinisht Mesfin died homeless in her car #EthiopiansInCalifornia

I found out she was found in her car in a gym parking lot after suffering a heart attack. She sat in her car for almost a whole month waiting for someone to find her. Why? Because she lived in her car and that gym parking lot was her home. She would use the gym to shower and use the restroom.

She didn’t have enough money to get her own place and my heart broke because all she did was give and give. Never once did she complain. But behind that smile and "good morning, darling" lived a whole different person. A woman struggling and working eight hours shifts for six days for a company that didn’t even bother helping with flower arrangements.

http://leftvoice.org/The-Price-of-Wonderland-Homeless-Disney-Worker-Dies-in-Car?var_mode=calcul

Yusuf Heyi has a stand at Ukiah Farmers Market #EthiopiansInCalifornia

 He works right now as a social worker but has plans to open a restaurant in Willits or Ukiah eventually. Unfortunately, he does not have the money yet to open his restaurant on his own. Heyi is considering cheaper options like a food truck but is on the lookout for other possibilities. He says he is open to partnering with other people in the community and working towards opening a business with others. Until then, Heyi goes to Farmers Markets in Ukiah, Willits, and even as far as Fort Bragg every weekend to sell his food.

http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/general-news/20180130/new-ethiopian-option-now-available-at-ukiah-farmers-market

Kalkidan Gebreyohannes is the owner of KALU, a collection of high-end luxury handbags #EthiopiansInCalifornia

Kalkidan Gebreyohannes was tired of the void she saw for Black designers who created high-end, luxury handbags. Rather then try to work her way into another white-washed company, she simply decided to disrupt the entire industry.

The Oakland-based designer came up with the concept for her brand, KALU, which is what her friends call her. She is a self-taught entrepreneur with roots in Ethiopia, Canada, and Southern California, and a mother of three.

https://thegrio.com/2017/12/18/kalu-black-designer-luxury-handbags/

Menbere Aklilu delivered the commencement address to graduates of Holy Names University #EthiopiansInCalifornia

An immigrant from Ethiopia who once was homeless, Aklilu started at Salute as a hostess before working her way up to maitre d’ and eventually owner. She has fed many hundreds of people for free at her annual Thanksgiving dinner for homeless and other economically disadvantaged people, a tradition she launched in 2011.

http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/12/16/richmond-salute-restaurant-owner-to-get-sports-hall-of-fame-honor/

Agarnesh Mengistu travels to LA to help her son #EthiopiansInUnitedStates

http://jewishjournal.com/news/227389/israeli-ethiopian-family-turns-l-jewry-help-free-son-gaza/

Elleni Bekele plays for Occidental women's soccer team #EthiopiansInCalifornia

Ted Alemayhu wants to be a US Congressman #EthiopiansInCalifornia

"He intends to become the first ever Africa-born representative in the US House of Representatives ... Alemayhu, who is best known for founding the charity US Doctors for Africa in 2001, is running as an independent candidate in California’s 37th congressional district, a famously diverse area in Los Angeles. The election is scheduled for November 2018."

Menbere Aklillu hosts brunch for motherless boys #EthiopiansInCalifornia

Meklit releasing a new album in June #EthiopiansInCalifornia

Album: When The People Move, The Music Moves Too

Track List:

1. This Was Made Here

2. I Want To Sing For Them All (featuring Andrew Bird)

3. Supernova

4. You Are My Luck (featuring Preservation Hall Horns)

5. Yerakeh Yeresal (featuring Andrew Bird)

6. You Got Me (featuring Preservation Hall Horns)

7. Yesterday Is A Tizita

8. Human Animal

9. Sweet Or Salty

10. Birthday Song (featuring Preservation Hall Horns)

11. Memories Of The Future (featuring Preservation Hall Horns)

Victoria Gidey works full time, is studying nursing, and only sleeps 4 hours a night #EthiopiansInCalifornia

Kalkidan looking for work as a babysitter #EthiopiansInCalifornia