History of Ethiopian Americans in Baltimore

The city of Baltimore, Maryland includes a small Ethiopian population. The Ethiopian-American community is centered in central Baltimore, particularly in Baltimore's historic Chinatown. This neighborhood is home to many Ethiopian businesses, including restaurants, a café, and a market. The enclave, located on the 300 block of Park Avenue, is sometimes referred to as Baltimore's Little Ethiopia.^[1]

Demographics

Of the approximately 75,000 Ethiopian Americans residing in Maryland, between 30,000 and 50,000 live in Greater Baltimore. The population generally works as small business owners, cab drivers, beauticians and medical technicians.^[2] The Ethiopian community is represented by the Ethiopian Community Center in Baltimore Inc. (ECCB), which provides educational and support services to the city's Ethiopian residents.^[3]

In September 2014, immigrants from Ethiopia were the twenty-third largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.^[4]

Culture

Due to Ethiopian entrepreneurs, Ethiopian coffee is experiencing a surge in popularity in the Baltimore area, with many restaurants and companies in the region now offering Ethiopian coffee.^[5]

As of 2013, there are about 25 doctors of Ethiopian and Eritrean background in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area, as well as Ethiopian-owned travel agencies, taxi companies, and parking garages.^[6]

History

In 1994, several Ethiopian-Israeli Jewish students visited Northwestern High School in Baltimore in an effort to help bridge cultural divides between local Black and Jewish communities. The program was sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League and aimed to debunk stereotypes about Jews and promote awareness of Black Jews.^[7]

In the late 2010s, there have been attempts to revive and revitalize the Chinese-American presence in historic Chinatown, most notably by the Chinatown Collective, a group of Asian-American artists. In January 2019, the Collective reached an agreement with a group of non-Asian investors to for a $30,000,000 investment project in Chinatown/Little Ethiopia. This has caused fears among some Ethiopian residents who worry that this could entail gentrification that might displace poor and working-class Ethiopian residents and Ethiopian business owners.^[8]

Religion

The majority of Ethiopian-Americans in Baltimore are Christians, with many belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Smaller numbers of Evangelical Christians, Ethiopian Jews, and Ethiopian Muslims also live in Baltimore.

References

^ "Little Ethiopia: What was once Baltimore's Chinatown is now home to a flurry of Ethiopian businesses". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
^ Medland, Mary (10 December 2013). "Ethiopian-owned businesses enliven Baltimore neighborhoods". Bmore. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
^ "ECCB - For Ethiopians in Baltimore". Ethiopian Community Center in Baltimore. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
^ "The Role of Immigrants in Growing Baltimore: Recommendations to Retain and Attract New Americans" (PDF). WBAL-TV. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
^ "How an Ethiopian-born entrepreneur is brewing Baltimore's coffee culture". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
^ Francis, E. Aracelis. "Social Work Practice with African-Descent Immigrants" (Chapter 4). In: Balgopal, Pallassana R. Social Work Practice with Immigrants and Refugees (Foundations of Social Work Knowledge Series). Columbia University Press, August 13, 2013. ISBN 0231504187, 9780231504188. Start page: 127. CITED: p. 136.
^ "Visiting Ethiopian Jews help bridge cultural divide". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
^ "What the Gentrification of Baltimore's Chinatown Means". CityLab. Retrieved 2020-02-26.

External links

Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant official website

[1] "Little Ethiopia: What was once Baltimore's Chinatown is now home to a flurry of Ethiopian businesses". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved 2020-02-26.

[2] Medland, Mary (10 December 2013). "Ethiopian-owned businesses enliven Baltimore neighborhoods". Bmore. Retrieved 26 February 2020.

[3] "ECCB - For Ethiopians in Baltimore". Ethiopian Community Center in Baltimore. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2020.

[Role_of_Immigrants-4] "The Role of Immigrants in Growing Baltimore: Recommendations to Retain and Attract New Americans" (PDF). WBAL-TV. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2020-02-26.

[5] "How an Ethiopian-born entrepreneur is brewing Baltimore's coffee culture". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2020-02-26.

[Francisp136-6] Francis, E. Aracelis. "Social Work Practice with African-Descent Immigrants" (Chapter 4). In: Balgopal, Pallassana R. Social Work Practice with Immigrants and Refugees (Foundations of Social Work Knowledge Series). Columbia University Press, August 13, 2013. ISBN 0231504187, 9780231504188. Start page: 127. CITED: p. 136.

[7] "Visiting Ethiopian Jews help bridge cultural divide". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-03-26.

[8] "What the Gentrification of Baltimore's Chinatown Means". CityLab. Retrieved 2020-02-26.

v t e Ethnic history of Baltimore
Groups	African Americans Africans Appalachian Americans Asian Americans Caribbeans Czechs Ethiopians French Germans Greeks Hispanics and Latinos Irish Italians Jews Koreans Lithuanians Native Americans Poles Romani Russians Syrians Ukrainians White Americans
Ethnic enclaves	Chinatown/Little Ethiopia Corned Beef Row French Town Greektown Koreatown Little Appalachia Little Bohemia Little Italy Little Lithuania Little Poland Little Ukrainian Village Otterbein Spanish Town
Institutions	Baltimore American Indian Center Baltimore Hebrew University Bohemian National Cemetery Christ United Church of Christ Concordia Hall Grand Lodge Č.S.P.S. of Baltimore Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation Hebrew Orphan Asylum Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church Holy Rosary Church Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church Jewish Museum of Maryland Lithuanian Hall National Great Blacks In Wax Museum National Slavic Museum Oblate Sisters of Providence Otterbein Church Our Lady of Pompeii Church Polish Home Hall Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture Royal Theatre Russian Night School St. Alphonsus Church St. Casimir Church St. Elizabeth of Hungary St. Francis Xavier Church St. Leo's Church St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church St. Peter the Apostle Church Sts. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church St. Vincent de Paul Church St. Wenceslaus in Baltimore Transfiguration of our Lord Russian Orthodox Church Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association Building Zion Lutheran Church
Events	Baltimore riot of 1968 2015 Baltimore protests
Media	Ethnic press in Baltimore (Baltimore Afro-American Baltimore Jewish Times Baltimore Times Baltimore Wecker Czas Baltimorski Der Deutsche Correspondent Latin Opinion Telegraf Where What When)