I honor and salute those who paved the rough and bumpy trail and transformed it into this smooth and less complicated one for us.  These fearless and determined Oromo nationalists choose death over the oppression and injustice against their people. They implanted a pride in our hearts; they fought for us, and taught us how it feels to fight for others. They sacrificed their lives in order to free us. These heroes and heroines are my inspiration for taking a step and deciding to lead Oromia Student Union (OSU) at different levels to uphold the objectives the organization has put forward.

Making such a decision was not easy, but I felt that it was an obligation for me to serve my people. Taking a leadership position in an Oromo organization after the summer of 2008 was very challenging due to the instable environment and doubtful conditions of that time. However, I was confident that I could overcome such obstacles and bring Oromo students under one umbrella for a common cause. At the same time, I was also able to accommodate the needs  of any Oromo organization, regardless of their ideological differences, just to fulfill the objectives of Oromia Student Union. I also built unforgettable memories with OSU officers and members. I am so proud that I was a team member of OSU board of 2008-2009 and 2009-2010.

The first step to success was establishing a strong OSU board with diverse background. I was very effective in bringing motivated and productive people on board. Secondly, communication was the key. I tried to create a comfortable environment for all by using a very effective way of communication. When I reached out to my board for help, some would call right back while some would text or e-mail me. I communicated closely not only with the board members, but also with active members and friends of the organization. The information flow was very transparent among the board and board members. The progress of the organization and activities of the organization were communicated to the members in a timely manner. Labor was divided among each board member according to their position, and sometimes we did not even care about what position was held by whom because we all helped each other whenever it was necessary. The job was effectively executed!

During my leadership in Oromia Student Union, we, the OSU board, did our best to safeguard the mission of the organization – upholding the Oromo struggle through educational excellence. The solution to the various problems we have been facing for more than a century is education. Having a number of educated human resources by itself does not mean anything unless the educated part of the society takes leadership roles. Oromia Student Union has been playing a great role in producing such a great leadership role in cultivating potential future leaders. Being part of the OSU executive board is like being playground where young Oromo students can get a great experience for their own personal development.  It is also a bridge for young Oromos, especially those who were born, raised and/or grew up in Diaspora, to make a transition to become an active member of the great Oromo community of Minnesota.

The Oromia Student Union was able to host great events of which I will always be proud.  To mention a few, Oromia Student Union celebrated its 30^th year Anniversary on January 25, 2010. It was an unforgettable day when the founder of Oromia Student Union, Daniel Namara, came to share some insight on the establishment of the organization. The leaders of the Oromo Community of Minnesota were also invited to share the happy moment with the founder and the members of Oromia Student Union. On behalf of OSU, Mr. Alemayo Baisa, executive director of the Oromo Community of Minnesota, presented an award of appreciation to OSU’s founder, Mr. Daniel Namara

As historical as this day was, we tried to bring back the memories of many years since the establishment of the organization.  Past OSU leaders like Arfasse Gemeda and Obsa Hassan were present at the event. The day was also farther beautified by the great performances of Oromia Youth Association’s cultural dancers (OYA Hawwisoo), as well as Roda Hassan’s poem, “Oromummaa.” Roda Hassan is the current (2010-2011) vice president of Oromia Student Union.

Another great event OSU hosted during my term was the pre-college workshop.  Hosting the precollege workshop was on the top of the lists of OSU activities. The success of our community in general relies on the success of the young generation, and Oromia Student Union pays more attention to education of Oromo youth than any thing else.

The social, economic, political and technological progresses of our community are highly dependent on the youth. However, the Oromo youth have been facing numerous challenges. Those who live in Oromia lack quality education, and that makes them less competitive on the world level. Just recently, the Voice of America Afaan Oromoo radio program reported on the quality of education in Ethiopia. According to the report, Oromo students are not able to compete even with students from different states of Ethiopia let alone competing with students who get the best education by Western standards.

In the same manner, Oromo youth in Diaspora also experience difficulties catching up with their education. Most of them grew up in refugee camps or other neighboring countries before they move to live in Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States of America, and many barely have attended elementary schools to get basic education. For example, when these young adults move to the USA, they are placed in classes depending on their age without considering their educational backgrounds. Language barriers limit them from communicating even with their teachers. As a result, the graduation rate of Oromo students from high school is very low, and sadly, very few of those who graduate from high school go on to attend college.

The Oromia Student Union works hard to bridge this gap by working with Oromo high school students. Even though we had a limited number of students that volunteer in high schools for after school tutoring sessions, we were able to reach out to more than eleven high school principals to coordinate a pre-college workshop for Oromo students. Within the spring and fall of 2009, we managed to bring more than 200 high Oromo school students to the U of M campus for information sessions that ran from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM.  Through this event, we were able to inspire a number of Oromo students to attend college after they graduated from high school.  We invited successful Oromo graduates, as well as Oromo and non-Oromo professors, to inspire the students.  It was also a time when Oromo students from different majors spoke to the high school students. The University of Minnesota admissions office has been a good partner in sponsoring our event and doing presentations on the opportunities for incoming students.

In addition to these two great events mentioned above, Oromia Student Union hosts events such as Oromo Awareness Day, Winter Jam, off campus volunteer tutoring, summer picnic, freshman and transfer welcoming, OSU election and an annual dinner. OSU also co-hosts a human rights conference with the Oromo American Citizens Council, African night with the African Student Association (2010), Reconciliation Conference with Oromo Artist Association (2010). OSU also participates on events that are hosted by the activities office and other student organizations on the U of M Twin Cities campus, the activities fair sponsored by the activities office, the Festival of Nations sponsored by African Student Association (ASA). The theme of the 2010 Festival of Nations was “One Continent  Many tongues.”  We prepared posters of Oromo words and phrases and their meanings in English. It was a one day teaching of Afaan Oromo to non-Oromos.

OSU annually participates in political week sponsored by the Black Student Union. This is an opportunity for Oromo scholars to teach the campus community about the history of Oromo people and Oromia. We also participated in “Red Spot” sponsored by ASA. The Red Spot is when we present about current burning issues about Oromia to a non-Oromo audience. Our presentation of 2010 focused on environmental issues, specifically on the “Green Lake”- a clean lake that was poisoned by factories around Lake Qooqa.

I have a big dream for Oromia Student Union, and I hope the future leaders of this great organization take it to the next level by the principles that I was guided by- the principles of contemporary leaders who work with the team members, listen to public opinions, learn from mistakes, and use criticisms for the Oromia Student Union’s advantage.

I want to recognize the support and the hard work of OSU’s past leaders. Because of them, today we walk on a smooth road. Leaders like Mr. Daniel Namara, who was the only Oromo student on the U of M Twin Cities campus, were he was able to make their voice heard. For the first time, I got to listen to Mr. Namara’s speech on OSU dinner night of 2007. I was amazed at his courage and determination. His performance has made me realize how much I could do having a determined and self-motivated OSU executive board and members. I would say that he inspired me to lead this great organization.

The advice and physical presence of past OSU leaders like Lense Solomon, Gada Basher, Iskandar Hassan, Chaltu Hassan, and Sartu Hassan was what got me going even during hard times. As past leaders did for me, I want to pave a way for our next generation.

During my term, OSU was able to bring new members to the group by engaging them with different activities. Among these activities were volunteering during events, volunteering in high schools, and presenting educational presentations at OSU events.

I served the Oromia Student Union with passion. I did it because I believed in the cause of the Oromo people. This is only the beginning, but only God knows what my last service to the Oromo people will be.

I am one of the first-hand victims of oppression directly and indirectly, having lost many family members and friends. This childhood memory is still affecting me in the way I interact with others, and guides my daily activities.  I do not wish the next generation to face the same challenges that I came across. No one is perfect; however, I want to be an example by showing love to every walking human being.

I have promised myself to start from my people; the Oromo people. I want to emphasize that uniting without recognizing the differences is denial of reality. Oromo people are one and the same forever; however, due to the geographical locations we are situated in, we have developed slight sub-cultural differences like dialects, dances, clothes and so forth.   By recognizing these differences, we celebrate such differences for it supplements our strength. We must realize that differences used in a good way create a diverse community with one mission, and that is strength. Such strength is unique. Uniqueness is beautiful.

Another dividing tool that Oromos’ foes used against Oromos was by pushing us apart using religious differences. we are Waaqeffataas, we are Christians, and we are Muslims. We are from east, west, south, north, and central Oromia, and at the end of the day we all are Oromos.

Oromo students of today must realize that we are not going to school only to create a luxury life for ourselves, but also to serve our community. We must be able to use the knowledge we acquire to serve the people, and not forget our roots. Something that we always fail to accept, though truth, is that the future of our country depends on our generation.

We commemorate the 30^th Year of the establishment of the Oromia Student Union (formerly known as the Oromo Students Association) at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities to honor those who paved the way for us – pioneer and determined Oromo nationalists that scarified their time to uphold Oromo struggle through educational excellence. With that promising hope aimed at ending the oppression and injustice against the Oromo people, they implanted an enduring pride in our hearts; sacrificing their lives for our freedom, they fought for us and thought us how it feels to fight for others.
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Oromia student Union celebrates the establishment of Oromo student organization

at U of M-TC on Jan 25, 2010 at 5:00 PM. Join US in Honoring OSU Pioneers, and dedicated members,and join facebook group:http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=256245217320&ref=mf

The mission of the Oromia Student Union is to promote education in our community and to create a transitional bridge for Oromo students from high school to college. We are also dedicated to educating the communities we reside in about the history and culture of the Oromo people. Oromia student Union is also devoted to upholding the Oromo struggle through educational excellence. We serve our community by providing access to University resources.

African Night 2007 Cultural Dance

We organize yearly conferences to bring Oromo students together from various institutions to share their experiences in higher education. We reach out to our community by providing Mentorship and Tutorship programs to students in elementary and secondary schools. We also closely work with other established organizations that work towards development of Oromo identity and the growth of Oromo communities.

OSU organizes Basic Health Education in the community once or twice a year. Volunteering is one of the biggest themes that defines our organization. We mentor youth in our community to promote education in our community. Most importantly, we organize College fairs for Oromo high school students as well as a career day for college students. We work with Oromo scholars and Political leaders to educate our Oromo students on issues that affect us as Oromos.

OSU at Paint the Bridge

We, the Oromia Student Union (OSU), have been part of this great University since 1980. The group was started by Mr. Daniel Namarra, who was a civil engineering student, and two of his international student classmates. Mr.Namarra, who left Ethiopia long ago, immigrated to Europe and eventually to Minnesota where he established the Oromo Relief Association of North America (ORANA) in 1980. Mr. Namarra believed it was the best way to educate people about his background and the history of his people. It was also a way to empower his fellow students who were left behind after the government cracked down on their student group in Ethiopia. He was one of many talented Oromo students who dared to advocate for equality and justice under an oppressive Ethiopian government. Mr. Namarra graduated from the U of M, worked overseas for the United Nations, and now lives happily in Brooklyn Park with his family. The idea he left behind in 1981 was restarted in 1996, but under the new name: Oromo Student Association (OSA). For the first time, there were enough Oromo students to register as a student organization at the U of M. Since that time, more Oromo students have joined the U of M community, and there are about 100 students in our organization today. In 2003, OSA was renamed Oromia Student Union (OSU) in order to create an umbrella student organization that incorporates students throughout all Minnesota Colleges and Universities. We are continuing to grow thanks to the U of M and our new Minnesota home.

Founder Daniel Namarra with current President Gada Beshir and newly elected president Adam Taddese

• Establish stronger connections with Oromo students in other colleges and universities around the nation
• Increase the number of Oromo students pursuing higher education
• Establish a connection with students in Oromia
• Help create Oromo Student Associations at various high schools
• …among other goals.

The Oromo people make up a significant portion of the population occupying the horn of Africa. In the Ethiopian Empire, the Oromo constitute about 42 million of the total 75 million inhabitants. Although the Oromo nation is one of the largest in Africa, it is still unknown to the majority of the world today. The Oromo people were colonized during the last quarter of the 19th century by Abyssinia, a black African nation, – with the help from European colonial powers of the day. During the same period the Somalis, Kenyans, Sudanese, and others were colonized by European powers. The fact that the Oromos were colonized by a black African nation makes their case special and difficult for the world to understand.