February 22, 2012 | 10:19 AM | By

Connections Between Africans and African Americans

We’ve previously explored some of the long-standing tensions between black residents and Ethiopian expatriates who have settled around U Street NW. But WAMU 88.5′s Global Perspectives takes another look into how these two communities are forging bonds. The show airs at 6:30 p.m., Thursday.

… cultural and political connections between these groups stretch back more than a hundred years. Ethiopia’s resistance to colonialism was an inspiration to many black American pan-Africanists. African-Americans sent money and fighter pilots to Ethiopia to battle Italian invaders. Later, Ethiopians looked to African-American civil rights leaders and cultural icons as heroes.

Today, some Ethiopians and African-Americans in DC are forging new alliances between their communities – and in doing so, reconciling their own personal histories and identities.

Read more at: wamu.org