Tadias! As a popular casual greeting the word invokes a sense of close relationship. With this in mind, we greet you to the first issue of our magazine. Tadias was envisioned in a spirit of collaboration and with the hope of creating a truly close relationship with our readers. Our purpose is to offer an outlet for our growing Ethiopian community to exchange ideas and learn from each other. It is our vision to recognize and showcase the talents of our people and our strong connection to a country vastly rich in culture.

Tadias is about the important events and issues that affect the lives of Ethiopians in America. It is about our work, businesses, careers, and children's future. The magazine will also reflect our history and tradition that has shaped our lives as Ethiopians and continues to influence new generations of Ethiopian-Americans. It will feature commentaries from academics, professionals, artists, students, scholars, leaders, and more. We will honor people that are making a difference in our community. The talented, the successful, innovative, and yes, even the ordinary will be showcased. We are intensely proud of our heritage, and are aware that Ethiopian-Americans are not merely a distinct immigrant group, but also vibrant members of modern-day America. This should, and will, be reflected in the magazine.

We warmly welcome submissions of articles, creative writings and artworks, from all readers of our magazine. We especially, encourage contributions by female writers and younger members of the Ethiopian-American community. Articles need not solely be concerned with the history and heritage of Ethiopia – We are sure that there is a wide range of untapped aspects of Ethiopian life just waiting to be explored in future issues of Tadias. We will gladly receive and research your recommendations of individuals to profile. Your suggestions and criticisms are always appreciated. Yes, criticize us if you must, and criticize us you should. This is the only way to assure our dream of building a high-quality publication, dedicated to the facets and various interest of the Ethiopian-American Community.

We hope that you find the inaugural issue of our magazine to your liking. It features a variety of articles, including Tasnim Fidali’s in-depth cover story interview with Amsale Aberra, Hollywood’s most sought after fashion designer. We hope the remarkable success story of this Ethiopian-born role model inspires others to follow in her footstep. The opinion piece by Steven Ivory, the Los Angeles-based African-American journalist, is intended to spark a healthy debate on the issue. We look forward to your participation on topics raised in our discussion forum.

The Editors

Book Review: The Ethiopians
Richard Pankhurst, Ethiopianist and Professor at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa, has published yet another descriptive historical work spanning Ethiopia's history from the Aksumite Kingdom to World War II invasion by Italy. He expertly maps out the introduction of Christianity, the Zagwe Dynasty, Solomonic descent of leaders, Islamic influence, the middle ages, and modernization under Emperor Menelik. Although much has been written about ancient Ethiopia, this book stands out as one that tries to cover a continuous historical account of ancient and modern history of Ethiopia. A must read for any Ethiopianist. ta

New Children's Book: When the World Began
Contrary to popular belief there is no shortage of children's storybooks on Ethiopian folktales. The recently published children's book, When the World Began, by Elizabeth Laird gathers stories told orally from one generation of Ethiopians to another. The folktales show the lives of Ethiopians from every walk of life - merchants, warriors, farmers along with stories of animals similar to those in Aesop's fables. Elizabeth Laird is a winner of the Reader's Choice award as well as the Children's book award, and has traveled extensively in Ethiopia. ta

Negotiating My Ethiopian Identity
When I was younger, my feelings about being Ethiopian were unambiguous. If I had to introduce myself back then, it would have been very simple and very straightforward: I was an “Abesha”. I felt that way because we ate “injera” every day, observed all the traditional and national holidays, upheld the same moral values as many Ethiopians, and acted according to the social decorum that our parents instilled in us. I was born to Ethiopian parents, and except for infancy spent in Belgrade, I lived in Addis Ababa until just before I turned 18... continued...