Dear Editor:

I saw the article, "Israeli bus driver to Ethiopian: No blacks allowed", posted on your website www.tecolahagos.com. It is something we should all learn from. As far as the rest of the world are concerned we are all black, sometimes derogatorily called "niggers", "jungle monkey", "Kushite", etc. Nobody gives crap whether we are Oromos, Amharas, Tigres, Gurages, etc. All �niggers� according to many !!

I am most upset not by the insults of others, but by our willingness to be blind and pretend such racial and ethnic hatred directed at us do not exist. We swallow all the crap from all over the place, and then practice "ethnic apartheid" at home. Ethnic apartheid is simply a monument to ethnic bias and hate. How can black people hate each other when they know they are despised by just about everybody in the world. We see it here in America. Tell me who, in America, does not look down at Africans? Wake up!! When do we learn that we will always be victims, and be humiliated unless we are united. We should be each other's comfort zone. Please write an article emphasizing unity and that together, we will be formidable, and divided we will be kicked around even by countries in Africa, such as Egypt, and Sudan, and now threatened by Iran's crap in Assab.

We should stop the stupidity. Get rid of ethnic politics, and tear down the monument of hate and bias called "killel". Ethiopians don't seem to realize they are preparing themselves for disaster and eventual doom with this ethnic apartheid business. None of us will be safe without all of us being safe. None of us will be somebody in this world without all of us being somebody. None of the so called "killels" will amount to anything the rest of the world will even notice. And all of them will perish by themselves in due time. They cannot compete in this world and continue to exist. How do we accomplish a sense of safety and respect in this world? The answer is simple. Be united and build ourselves up to guarantee we will all be there tomorrow among nations. 

By the way, the Ethiopian lady who got insulted by the bus driver should realize that she will always be disrespected. Nobody cares about her "Jewishness". But everybody notices her blackness, and does not want her to live in his neighborhood, or date his son. She should not ignore her Ethiopian heritage, only to beg to be accepted as a "Jewish" woman. She is wasting her time thinking people will take her seriously as a Jewish woman. She should be proud of who she is, "A black woman from Ethiopia". At the end of the day that is all she is, and she does not have any other friends besides Ethiopians. 

The Palestinian in Israel will hate her more than he hates a non-black Israeli. And will probably insult her just the same. We all should be ashamed when we go around the world and ridicule ourselves in front of Arabs, Europeans, etc thinking they are our friends, or take us seriously. They don't care about us, and frankly why should they when we do not care about people who are Ethiopians and like us. Nobody cares for us more than the people we have lived with for thousands of years sharing the joys and sorrows of life. Long live Ethiopia!!!

Tim Abebe