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May 15, 2005
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| Solomon Gashaw is a native of Ethiopia. He came to the U.S. for a two-week conference in 1977, and never went back home. (MPR Photo/Art Hughes) |
New Hope, Minn. — Soloman Gashaw is 56 years old. He was born in the Harrar region of Ethiopia, and grew up in the Oromia region. He worked on land distribution for the Ethiopian government in the 1970s.
Gashaw hadn't intended to live in the United States permanently when he first visited the country. In 1977, Gashaw attended a two-week agriculture conference in Madison, Wisconsin.
While there, it became clear that he could be executed as a suspected enemy of the totalitarian-style government if he returned home. This time in Ethiopia is known as the "Red Terror."
Gashaw stayed in Madison while his wife and three children remained in Ethiopia. He attended law school while attempting to wait out his country's ruling power.
With no end in sight for the regime after he finished law school, Gashaw extended his student visa and worked toward a Ph.D. in sociology. After five years of separation, his family joined him in the U.S.
Once he achieved his degree, he accepted a position as sociology instructor with the University of Minnesota, Morris. They live in New Hope.
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