Ethiopians have been coming to Minnesota since the 1960s. Today, at least 30,000 Ethiopians-most of whom belong to the Oromo ethnic group-call the state home. Other population estimates are as high as 40,000. Ethiopians are the state’s second-largest immigrant population from East Africa, after Somalis.
Indeed, it’s hard to imagine what Minnesota would be without our foreign-born, immigrant, and refugee communities. Not only have Hmong refugees broadened our previously bland palates with bok choy and Thai chili peppers at farmers’ markets, but Southeast Asian and East African refugees and Latinx immigrants have expanded the economy by playing a crucial role in Minnesota’s workforce. Refugees have bolstered Minnesota’s health care system with 13,000 workers, for example, and rescued meat-processing plants from a labor shortage.
Immigrants and refugees have been drawn here by family and religious groups such as Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Service that have paved the way with sponsorships and support, including international adoption: Minnesota has one of the highest international adoption rates per capita in the country, highlighted by the 15,000 Korean adoptees who’ve landed in Minnesota since the Korean War. The state’s Refugee Resettlement Programs Office and organizations such as the IIM help immigrants and refugees navigate everything from housing to health care to Minnesota Nice.
Many decades later, Minnesota is still home. In 2020, Oballa Oballa becomes the first Ethiopian elected public official in Minnesota, winning a seat on the Austin City Council. More than 80 percent of Ethiopians in the state are employed, with many holding professional jobs in sectors that include health, education, finance, and government. Those without college degrees often clean hotels and offices and attend parking lots in Minneapolis and St. Ethiopians have established churches, mosques, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations, including Fasika Restaurant in St.
For more than a century, limited rights to government representation, education, employment, free speech, and property led people to face jail or flee for their homeland. When Feyisa Lilesa, a medal-winning Olympic runner from Ethiopia, visited Minnesota last weekend, most of the state didn’t notice. Lilesa became a local hero among Oromo people last month after flashing a well-known protest sign against his country’s government at the finish line. The move prevented him from returning home to Ethiopia, fearing reprisal from those in power, but it made him welcome among many Oromo people living in the United States.
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Oromos have been protesting against their government for decades, and many have fled the country since the 1970s fearing persecution. Here in Minnesota, thousands of Oromo people gathered at the Minneapolis Convention Center to welcome Lilesa as he visited the city over the weekend. But Minnesota’s Oromo leaders say that the event’s lack of attention reflected a longstanding feeling of invisibility among Oromos living in the state.
Earlier this summer, a survey conducted in partnership between the Oromo Cultural Institute of Minnesota (OCIM), the Amherst H. The survey talked to Oromo people living in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood - an area with one of the highest concentrations of East African immigrants in the state. Of those who took the survey, 93 percent reported facing a language barrier and 88 percent believed most Minnesotans don’t know anything about their culture and history.
For many Oromo people living here, Hassen said, the language barrier complicates simple tasks like taking public transit, visiting the doctor, and even opening up bank accounts and setting up a cell phone plan. OCIM estimates more than 40,000 Oromo live in Minnesota, based on immigration records they’ve obtained, though the state’s demographer’s office puts that number at less than 10,000. That still leaves Oromo as the state’s second highest East African population, behind Somalis.
Hassen said he hopes the survey will help convince public officials to pay more attention to Oromo concerns as OCIM begins to apply for more state grants. But ultimately, he said, they hope to open a new Oromo community center to act as a cultural and educational hub for the city’s Oromo. A new center where they could host cultural events like dances, and provide language and job training classes would help repair that rift, he said.
Back around 2005, the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood had an Oromo community center, but it has since closed. Now Minnesota’s sole Oromo center - The Oromo Community of Minnesota - exists in what used to be a small church in St. Paul. And Hassan Hassan, an Oromo resident who lives in Cedar-Riverside, said the St. Paul center is simply too small for their needs.
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Awal Windissa, Oromo Community of Minnesota board member, agreed. The old church building can host up to 250 at a time, he said, but it no longer accommodates the state’s growing Oromo population. Hassen said OCIM is currently looking at a building in the Seward neighborhood that would meet their needs, but they’d need to raise at least $2.5 million to even consider buying it. He’s hoping increased public awareness and better access to state grants will help them get there.
Ethiopian Community in Minnesota (ECM) was officially founded and incorporated in 1995. For nearly two decades ECM has been serving the Ethiopian community by bringing Ethiopians together. It also served the needs of thousands of Ethiopians by providing services including translation, advocacy, job counseling, housing, etc. Important amongst its purposes was also its assumed responsibility of empowering the various constituents within the Ethiopian community to embrace the legacy of their rich heritage, history and tradition. One such effort was the establishment of Amharic language classes for youth. Throughout its existence, ECM did strive to include all members of the Ethiopian community regardless of their ethnicity/race, differences in age, gender, language, sexual orientation, religious background, or political affiliation.
The Anywaa Community in Minnesota have united with individuals and organizations to bring change to our lives. We will connect families and underserved people to the proper resources, so that they can live the life that America promises to immigrants. Our community is committed to connecting individuals and organizations so that we can develop relationships and economic stability among Ethiopians in Bloomington and the Twin Cities Metro area of Minnesota.
More than 80 languages and 200 dialects are spoken in Ethiopia. The most common spoken in Minnesota are Amharic and Oromo. Younger Ethiopian Minnesotans speak English and 86 percent of foreign-born Ethiopians report speaking English well or very well. Some Ethiopians may have fled to Somalia at some point and learned Somali; however, in general, materials written in Somali languages are not user-friendly to Ethiopian Minnesotans. Recently arrived Ethiopian Minnesotans may require the use of interpreters during office visits.
The Ethiopian community in Minnesota is diverse. Family units are small, with an average of 2.8 persons. Religion is highly important. Ethiopian Minnesotans are often Orthodox Christian, Muslim, mainline Protestant Christian, other Protestant Christian such as Jehovah’s Witness, or Jewish, or practice indigenous African spirituality. Many Ethiopian Minnesotans have relatives still living in Ethiopia and are highly interested in current events in that country and region.
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The traditional diet of Ethiopians emphasizes vegetables and whole grains. Many acculturated immigrants replace traditional meals with fast food-often called the “American diet”-contributing to an increase in obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Orthodox Christians do not eat meat, eggs, or dairy products on Wednesdays and Fridays. They have 250 fasting days, 180 of which are obligatory for laypeople. They fast on a number of occasions, including 55 days at Easter. Fasting practices may impact how medications are taken.
Common health issues for Ethiopian immigrants are the long-term effects of malnutrition, the physical and psychological trauma from war, and infectious diseases. Wide differences exist in health care beliefs and practices between long-established and recent immigrants. Discrimination, civil unrest, drought, and famine have resulted in direct and historical trauma to Ethiopian Minnesotans. Older immigrants are less likely to have English skills which may increase loneliness, isolation, and depression. experiences mental illness in a given year. Some data shows that the life expectancy of East African immigrants tends to be 5 to 7 years longer (78, males) than the life expectancy of native-born African-Americans (72.5, males). The religious beliefs of the patient and family will influence life preferences.
Resources:
- ZeHabesha. A print and online newspaper covering news of interest to Ethiopian Minnesotans. In the Amharic language. Written and produced in Minnesota.
- Voices of Ethiopia. Minneapolis-produced program of news, music, and culture from East Africa. KFAI.
- Ethiopian Cultural Profile. Information on history, culture and community with emphasis on health related issue.
Additional Data:
| Topic | Data |
|---|---|
| Average Family Size | 2.8 persons |
| English Speaking Proficiency (Foreign-Born) | 86% report speaking English well or very well |
