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]

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Ethnicity in Baltimore

Demographics
A mural in Little Ethiopia depicting a Chinese dragon and an Ethiopian lion, depicting the neighborhood's past and present, February 2019.
An Ethiopian coffee shop in Little Ethiopia, Baltimore, February 2019.

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 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.[7]

See also

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