Yeshimebeth T. Belay
| Yeshimebeth T. Belay | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 4, 1962 Jigjiga, Harare, Ethiopia |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Ethiopian American |
| 💼 Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Known for | Ethiopian Yellow Pages |
| 🌐 Website | www |
Yeshimebeth T. Belay (born 1962) is an Ethiopian American entrepreneur. She founded the business directory Ethiopian Yellow Pages in Washington DC in 1993, started an Amharic newspaper and a restaurant, and has led economic regeneration initiatives in the Shaw Howard area of Washington.
Early life and academia[edit]
Belay was born in 1962[2] in the eastern city of Jijiga. She was the fourth of eight children.[2] Her father Tesfaye Wondemagegnehu was a government official.[3] Her mother Lakech Beyene is descended from Ethiopian royalty.[2]
Belay attended elementary and secondary school at Notre Dame School in the town of Dire Dawa. She travelled to the United States to complete her Bachelor's Degree at the Southern University at Baton Rouge.[2][3] Despite her father’s wish for her to become a doctor, she studied marketing and business.[2] After graduating from Southern University, in 1989 she moved to the Washington, DC metropolitan area,[2] which has a large Ethiopian population.[4]
Belay completed her master's degree in Business Administration in 2008, specializing in marketing, at Strayer University in Alexandria, Virginia.
Ethiopian Yellow Pages[edit]
After moving to the DC area, Belay came to believe that the Ethiopian community in Washington lacked sources of information. She undertook research to identify this community's information needs, which led to the idea for a business directory eventually called the Ethiopian Yellow Pages.[4]
Ethiopian Yellow Pages was officially launched in 1994.[2][3][5] The first edition contained 80 pages; the 2009 edition had around 1,000.[3] The directory has since been made accessible through the internet.[2] Washington DC Council declared September 15, 2007 to be “Ethiopian Yellow Pages Day” in the District of Columbia.[citation needed] The directory was described by the Washington Post in June 2011 as an "Immigrant’s Directory ... an all-purpose tool for cultural acclimation."[2]
Other endeavors[edit]
In 2000, Belay founded The Ethiopian Expo,[2] a non-profit organization engaged in promoting a strong relationship between the Ethiopian community and various organizations. Belay remains the president of the Expo.
In 2008, Belay founded Bawza, a newspaper and online publication published in both Amharic, the Ethiopian national language, and English. Bawza (English: "a powerful beam of light") was launched to inform the Ethiopian community about business, culture, music, art and family matters.
Belay served two terms (2011–2012; 2013–2014[6]) as a board member of the Shaw Main Streets organization, a 501(c)(3) organization aiming to revitalize commercial life in the Shaw Howard area of Washington. Belay is also a founding and active member of the 9th and U-street Business Association, which she later campaigned to have renamed "Little Ethiopia" in recognition of the Ethiopian businesses around the area. Even though the official request to rename the area Little Ethiopia was declined, many Ethiopians still unofficially call the area "Little Ethiopia Street."[3] Belay has campaigned to persuade the council of Washington to approve Amharic as an official language in the District of Columbia.
Belay was managing director and owner of Little Ethiopia Restaurant,[7][8] which opened in June 2009 in the Washington DC’s Show Howard historical area.[3]
Personal life[edit]
With her husband Yehunie Belay, Belay has a son and a daughter.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Ethiopian Yellow Pages". ethiopianyellowpages.com. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Wax, Emily (8 June 2011). "Ethiopian Yellow Pages: Life, by the book". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Abrams, Amanda (July 2009). "Little Ethiopia A Culinary and Cultural Experience" (PDF). DC North. capitalcommunitynews.com: 36.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Connell, Christopher (10 August 2015). "Ethiopians put down roots in Washington to build their largest U.S. community". ShareAmerica. Bureau of Global Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ↑ Grisham, Lori (17 February 2009). "Ethiopian Woman Connects Her Community". American Observer. American University's Graduate Journalism Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 April 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ↑ "Board of Directors 2013-2014". Shaw Main Street. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ↑ "Little Ethiopia Restaurant in Washington, DC review". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
- ↑ Misty Showalter. "Inside Washington D.C.'s 'Little Ethiopia' - CNN.com". articles.cnn.com. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
- "Little Ethiopia (Ethiopian) - Washington City Paper". washingtoncitypaper.com. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
- "Gastronomer's Guide: A Tour of Little Ethiopia in Washington, DC". gastronomersguide.com. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
External links[edit]
- Ethiopian Yellow Pages
- Ethiopian Expo
- "Bawza (ፍቅርና ሰላም ከያዙ ሁሌም ደስተኝነት)" (PDF). www.bawza.com Volume 1, Issue 8. 25 March 2011. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
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