Does Little Ethiopia belong on Danforth?
6 July, 2010 | By Samuel Getachew
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t usually like big mega cities, like New York. However Toronto is an
exception.
Toronto, a city I admire, has always been full of characters, or much like the
way former prime minister Joe Clark envisioned Canada in his successful
1979 election — a community of communities.
These areas help us showcase the rich diversity of our city, not just in
words but in deeds.
That is why a few friends and myself are asking the City of Toronto to name
a section of Danforth Ave. around Greenwood Ave. as Little Ethiopia.
The history of Ethiopian Canadians, especially in the Toronto Danforth area,
is new.
Ethiopians are one of the many groups of new immigrants to have fled
successive broken governments and settled in Toronto. But what makes
Canada different than most countries is we can be passionate citizens
without losing sight of our heritage.
Earlier this year, a few of us met with the Toronto Danforth Mosaic BIA for
about 30 minutes about our idea for Little Ethiopia. We spoke about our hope
and dream for our city. They spoke of a multicultural mosaic they wanted to
create in the area, one that is not a ghettoized neighbourhood, and rejected
the idea.
Along the Danforth from around Greenwood to Monarch Park, there are
about 16 Ethiopian Canadian businesses and their contribution is very visible.
We are owners and tenants of the many buildings found in the area.
However, we lack visibility in our area BIAs, activities and at City Hall.
Governments can do much to help connect us to the area and have us take
ownership of the areas we frequent. To clean it more, make it lovely like
Greektown, and above all take ownership of it.
To have us believe in our BIA’s enough for us to join its boards and
volunteer at the different activities in the community. The idea of Little
Ethiopia is of celebration and not of ghettoization.
Greektown, Chinatown and the many areas named after a certain country or
countries are not ghettos but a celebration of global citizenship.
As a Torontonian and as a black person, I get my hair cut in the heart of
Greektown, buy the best and the cheapest Italian beef in Chinatown and go
for the best coffee in Little Italy at College and Clinton.
Almost always the people I see are diverse in their representation from every
country on the planet.
That is the wish for our aspiring Little Ethiopia on Danforth project — that
of many cultures and a recognition of the Ethiopian Canadian experience.
We are not tourists to Canada but citizens of an awesome country.
I believe Little Ethiopia can be a start.
We are a very small group pushing forward this idea with the hope of
thousands.
Our effort is no longer an Ethiopian story but that of a Canadian: Passion,
youthful vigour and hard work — the hallmark of what makes me a proud
Canadian.
— Getachew is a member of the Ethiopian community in Toronto and is
running for council in Scarborough
Courtesy
6 July, 2010 | By Samuel Getachew
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t usually like big mega cities, like New York. However Toronto is an
exception.
Toronto, a city I admire, has always been full of characters, or much like the
way former prime minister Joe Clark envisioned Canada in his successful
1979 election — a community of communities.
- The Greektown on Danforth,
Chinatown around Dundas West
and Spadina Avenue, Korea town
on Bloor in the Annex are some of
the areas that attract thousands of
tourists on a yearly basis.
- On top of all of these, festivals
such as Caribana, Taste of the
Danforth, the Toronto Film
Festival and Luminato helps us
attract lots of people and
resources to the city. Greektown
alone claims to have more than 1
million visitors yearly.
These areas help us showcase the rich diversity of our city, not just in
words but in deeds.
That is why a few friends and myself are asking the City of Toronto to name
a section of Danforth Ave. around Greenwood Ave. as Little Ethiopia.
The history of Ethiopian Canadians, especially in the Toronto Danforth area,
is new.
Ethiopians are one of the many groups of new immigrants to have fled
successive broken governments and settled in Toronto. But what makes
Canada different than most countries is we can be passionate citizens
without losing sight of our heritage.
Earlier this year, a few of us met with the Toronto Danforth Mosaic BIA for
about 30 minutes about our idea for Little Ethiopia. We spoke about our hope
and dream for our city. They spoke of a multicultural mosaic they wanted to
create in the area, one that is not a ghettoized neighbourhood, and rejected
the idea.
Along the Danforth from around Greenwood to Monarch Park, there are
about 16 Ethiopian Canadian businesses and their contribution is very visible.
We are owners and tenants of the many buildings found in the area.
However, we lack visibility in our area BIAs, activities and at City Hall.
Governments can do much to help connect us to the area and have us take
ownership of the areas we frequent. To clean it more, make it lovely like
Greektown, and above all take ownership of it.
To have us believe in our BIA’s enough for us to join its boards and
volunteer at the different activities in the community. The idea of Little
Ethiopia is of celebration and not of ghettoization.
Greektown, Chinatown and the many areas named after a certain country or
countries are not ghettos but a celebration of global citizenship.
As a Torontonian and as a black person, I get my hair cut in the heart of
Greektown, buy the best and the cheapest Italian beef in Chinatown and go
for the best coffee in Little Italy at College and Clinton.
Almost always the people I see are diverse in their representation from every
country on the planet.
That is the wish for our aspiring Little Ethiopia on Danforth project — that
of many cultures and a recognition of the Ethiopian Canadian experience.
We are not tourists to Canada but citizens of an awesome country.
I believe Little Ethiopia can be a start.
We are a very small group pushing forward this idea with the hope of
thousands.
Our effort is no longer an Ethiopian story but that of a Canadian: Passion,
youthful vigour and hard work — the hallmark of what makes me a proud
Canadian.
— Getachew is a member of the Ethiopian community in Toronto and is
running for council in Scarborough
Courtesy
Social Determinants of Health
THE CANADIAN FACTS
THE CANADIAN FACTS
- 07 May, 2010 (Juha Mikkonen
and Dennis Raphael) - The
primary factors that shape the
health of Canadians are not
medical treatments or lifestyle
choices but rather the living
conditions they experie...More
Ethiopian Enters Toronto City Council Race
- 15 April, 2010 (Tadias)
- Samuel Getachew, an
Ethiopian-born
Canadian citizen, has
announced his
candidacy for the 2010
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