Taytu, Ethiopia

“I was a flight attendant with Ethiopian Airlines when political and economic life in Ethiopia were dominated by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which claimed to represent the Tigray ethnic group. The TPLF also controlled the top management of Ethiopian Airlines and discriminated against people from other ethnic groups like me.
One day, I was abused by a passenger who was a top government minister in the TPLF political party. I could not complain to anyone about what he did to me. I was warned not to tell anyone, even my husband. I was terrified about what would happen to me, so I escaped from Ethiopia and came to the United States to apply for asylum. When I arrived in Washington DC, I needed therapy to recover from the trauma of the abuse I suffered.
I chose this photo to be projected over me as it shows the leaders of countries that belonged to the African Union 50 years ago, when Haile Selassie was the leader of Ethiopia. I was proud that Ethiopia was the headquarters of the African Union. My hope is that in the future, there will be peace and harmony in Africa and in Ethiopia. The current government in Ethiopia is repeating the same pattern as the previous government and discriminating against people based on ethnicity. I want all ethnic groups to be treated equally.“