Michael Habtemariam giving one of his customers free chicken for life after tweet went viral

Her tweet about a D.C. fried chicken sandwich went viral — and the restaurant just gave her free chicken for life - The Washington Post 'The three owners of Roaming Rooster, a D.C. restaurant whose fried chicken sandwiches exploded in popularity after a viral tweet. (Solomon Photo and Video Production/Solomon Photo and Video Production) “He came home raving about their food, bringing some for me to try and it was the BEST chicken sandwich I’ve ever had,” Hall wrote. “From there on, a bond was forged between our families and we became regular customers.”

North Texas Ethiopian community has grown to around 40,000 people

Ethiopian New Year is next week, and the Ethiopian community in North Texas will start celebrating this weekend at a festival in Garland. 'The North Texas Ethiopian community has grown to around 40,000 people. And with that, Ethiopians have created spaces for themselves, like restaurants, grocery stores and churches, and this weekend's festival.

Tegegne Mersha used to make $200 a day before Uber came to Seattle and now rarely takes home more than $100 a day

Seattle’s taxis are hanging on as Uber and Lyft lose billions As Uber and other TNCs have unleashed an all-out price war against the taxi companies, many were predicting their outright extinction. Instead, most of those companies, including Yellow Cab, Orange Cab, E-Cab, Farwest Taxi and Green Cab, are still on the road. In fact, the fleet of taxis licensed by the city has actually grown 22 percent, to 844, since 2015.

Bruk Simon is a freshman studying computer science engineering at LeTourneau University

International student Bruk Simon of Ethiopia speaks Friday about the process of coming to the U.S. to attend LeTourneau University in the Anna Lee and Sidney Allen Family Student Center. 'When Bruk Simon was on his way to Longview from Ethiopia, he was flagged by the federal Transportation Security Administration more than once. But he said one thought helped him deal with the stress — that he soon would be at a good school.

Teff has three times more iron and almost twice as much fiber as traditional grains, and a more complete suite of amino acids

UC Davis researcher Gizaw Wolde inspects a test crop of the Ethiopian grain teff. 'Researchers at UC Davis have been looking into teff’s suitability for growth in California for years and are now launching a market study to gauge demand. lags behind Australia, Holland, Germany and several other European food powerhouses that have been growing teff for food, anticipating a further surge in global demand.

The Shadow King, new novel from Maaza Mengiste

A gripping novel set during Mussolini’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, The Shadow King takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. With the threat of Mussolini’s army looming, recently orphaned Hirut struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid in Kidane and his wife Aster’s household. Kidane, an officer in Emperor Haile Selassie’s army, rushes to mobilize his strongest men before the Italians invade.

International Students Face Hurdles Under Trump Administration Policy

Cottey College, a women’s college in Nevada, Mo., accepted six students from Ethiopia this year, and officials were disappointed when two of them were denied visas. They were puzzled by the reason: The students, the State Department said, did not have strong enough ties to their home country and might not return. 'The visa denials to the Ethiopian students at Cottey College were especially frustrating to college officials because the school had made a strong commitment to recruiting international students and was offering generous scholarships. “We had invested in getting them here, and they were so excited about the opportunity,” Ms. Corrigan said. “And now they can’t come.”

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. '

Two Ethiopians die in house fire in DC

D.C. officials said there were 12 people living in the home, which was divided up to rent to multiple people.  Because the home was not licensed as a rental, it was never inspected by the city to ensure it met fire code.

Ashenafi Belachwe becomes US citizen with a little help from the police

On Tuesday, August 20 an officer pulled over to help a man having car troubles. The officer took the man to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office. That's where he waited as Ashenafi Belachwe put on a suit he had brought with him and went inside with the hope of a better life.

Aklilu Burayu manages four parking garages in downtown Minneapolis

“America makes you a perfect person,” Burayu, 62, reflected on a recent day outside the ramp, comparing the intensity of struggle being new in America to the crushing geological pressure that forms diamonds in the earth. “It will push you to work hard.” Burayu grew up in Ethiopia. As a young adult, he worked there as a high school teacher and writer, got married and had four children. One day, he applied for an American visa lottery and won.

Girmay Zahilay running for Metropolitan King County Council #EthiopiansInSeattle

His parents left Ethiopia as refugees in the 1980s for Sudan, where Zahilay was born. They immigrated to South Seattle, his mom working double shifts as a nursing assistant. He attended college at Stanford, where he would major in biology and serve as president of the Black Student Union. After college, he interned at the Office of White House Counsel during the Obama administration. He continued his education at University of Pennsylvania Law School. 

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/girmay-zahilay-calls-larry-gossett-a-civil-rights-hero-he-wants-to-unseat-him-on-the-king-county-council/

Dr. Taye Gonfa to start a full-time job as a family practice physician #EthiopiansInNorthCarolina

In 2000, Taye Gonfa was a medical student in Ethiopia. However, he joined hundreds of other students in a massive protest against the government that erupted in the capital city of Addis Ababa, and spread throughout the country. Gonfa and some of the other students fled to Kenya and he settled in a refugee camp. He stayed at the refugee camp for 8 years. He moved to the United States in 2008. He was eventually able to continue his education.  He graduated with a bachelor's of science degree from UNCG in just two and a half years, and was later accepted into the medical school at UNC-Chapel Hill. He did his residency at Moses Cone and is now a full-time job as a family practice physician at the same institution. 

https://www.greensboro.com/news/local_news/from-a-refugee-camp-to-moses-cone-ethiopian-doctor-did/article_039cc408-b375-5750-a493-f4ae3455b16e.html

Tecle Gebremicheal is running for Boise City Council #EthiopiansInIdaho

Gebremicheal is working toward an undergraduate degree in political science from Boise State University and serves as a petroleum supply specialist in the U.S. Army Reserves. After first coming to Boise from Ethiopia, he earned his GED and attended the College of Western Idaho before aiming for his bachelor’s. He speaks three languages and also works as a soccer coach for Nations United under Rush Sports Complex Idaho.

https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/former-refugee-running-for-boise-city-council/article_4ce83604-7fbc-5fc7-b6ad-24c0d4a0c826.html

Rediet Abebe a computer science researcher at Cornell University #EthiopiansInNewYork

She specializes in algorithms, artificial intelligence, and their application for social good. She told an audience at EmTech Digital, an event organized by MIT Technology Review, that she has discovered a surprising lack of collaboration in certain areas of AI research.

https://events.technologyreview.com/video/watch/rediet-abebe-mechanism-design-social-good/

Tsion Tesfaye receives full funding for graduate study at Stanford #EthiopiansInNewYork

Tesfaye, from Holeta, Ethiopia, is pursuing a master’s degree in statistics (data science track) at Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. She graduated from Hamilton with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in education studies. Tesfaye presented her Youth for Ethiopia project at the Clinton Global Initiative University in 2016, as well as social innovation conferences and trainings in Austria, Japan, Rwanda, and the U.S.

https://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/tesfaye-knight-hennessy-scholar-stanford

11-year-old Jonah Larson releasing a book #EthiopiansInWisconsin

KWiL Publishing, an independent small press, is publishing a photo autobiography of Jonah Larson. In addition to telling his story of being adopted from Ethiopia, it will feature an introduction to crocheting and some of "Jonah's Favorites."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelkramerbussel/2019/02/26/jonah-larson-crochet-book-deal/#1c071bf7f131

Hakeem Abdulwahab moved up from custodian to nurse #EthiopiansInMinnesota

Abdulwahab was born into a large, but poor family in Ethiopia. In his early 20’s, he decided to try to come to America so he could make money to send back home. When Abdulwahab arrived in Minnesota, his first job was at a McDonald’s. There, he met a nurse, and his now-mentor, who worked at Gillette Children’s. Years later, however, Abdulwahab's coworkers encouraged him to go to school for a nursing degree.

http://www.fox9.com/news/gillette-childrens-employee-moves-up-from-custodian-to-nurse

Mekedlawit Setegne is president of Rice African Student Association #EthiopiansInOhio

Setegne came to America with her family when she was five years old after winning the lottery for a diversity visa. Setegne said she feels that there’s pressure to be a perfect representation of black people all the time. “I know that as soon as I say something that's wrong, I'm not talking for Mekedlawit. I'm talking for black women in STEM,” Setegne said. “I think that makes me more hesitant to just do a lot of things, and feel like I don't belong in certain spaces.”

http://www.ricethresher.org/article/2019/02/black-at-rice-mekedlawit-setegne

Megdelawit Habteselassie is double majoring in neuroscience and organizational leadership #EthiopiansInCincinnati

University of Cincinnati senior Megdelawit Habteselassie also finds time to serve as student body president and as a member of the UC alumni council. She is the first African-American woman to hold the position in UC's 199-year history. She will graduate this year and plans to move to Washington, D.C., to work for a few years before going to law school.

https://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/university-of-cincinnati-s-student-body-president-makes-history