Building bridges in a new land

To succeed, you have to know who you are.

If you define yourself as an American and understand and embrace the best parts of this culture, you will succeed.

That's a big part of what I heard from a group of people from Eritrea and Ethiopia who want to help more East African immigrants thrive in the United States.

Their goal is not new, but in some ways their approach differs from the usual.

Instead of helping parents teach children the culture of their homelands, they want parents to learn how families here work and to help all family members relate to each other. Amanuel Yohannes, who came up with the idea, came to America from Eritrea as a teenager in 1979. He planned to become a mechanical engineer but was impatient to make money so he went into business.

He ran a gas station, then a restaurant, Hidmo, which he sold near the end of 2006.

That year a gang called the East African Posse was in the news for alleged drug trafficking. Yohannes was troubled and decided something beyond the usual outreach was needed.

His ideas came together as the Salaam Urban Village Association.

"Once our people get here, they are losing the culture," he said. "There is a high rate of divorce; the family is disappearing."

He said parents work 16 hours a day and don't have time for their kids, who end up learning on the streets.

Yohannes wants to stop that familiar immigrant script. There is more to success than scrambling for more money. Family relationships need to be nurtured.

Asress Araia, who was an Ethiopian Airlines pilot for 38 years, joined him. Araia's wife, Fana Estifanos, runs Fana's Cuisine in Rainier Valley.

Araia said an immigrant comes to the United States, "in search of his share of the pie. He is bombarded by the media ... they tell him you think you have it good, but you need more."

Salaam's goal is to help fellow immigrants replace the cultural structure that is lost with an American model, but with more emphasis on family than money.

Araia appreciates the cultures of East Africa but says, "We are Americans now." This is the culture people need to understand.

That is especially important for families from Latin America or Africa, whose children could fall prey to negative images. The program they are developing will include instruction in the history that "has shaped the black soul in America."

As a pilot, Araia traveled the world and saw how people in other countries formed a positive image of America based on the creativity of black Americans.

No one need embrace negative images or behaviors. Learn the rules, play by the rules, and anything is possible, he told me. The time is right to create a new identity based on personal achievement.

Yohannes, Araia and the others have created a Web site, www.salaamurbanvillage.org, and plan to hold their first educational meeting in October.

Araia believes that by reaching their highest potential, immigrants will help America become the nation defined in its ideals.

Jerry Large's column appears Monday and Thursday. Reach him at 206-464-3346 or jlarge@seattletimes.com.