Haimy Assefa: Meb Keflezighi is American, and So Am I

CNN

By Haimy Assefa

April 22nd, 2014

I was born in Ethiopia, raised in Oklahoma and Colorado, and ended up in Brooklyn, New York.

Coming to America from Ethiopia, a place where black and white were only colors that had little to do with race, I had to learn English, and also the language of identity.

In America, I was black.

So when some online commenters questioned whether Boston Marathon winner and Eritrean-American Meb Keflezighi is truly “American,” it reminded me of my own experience as an immigrant who became a naturalized American citizen and embraced a new identity.

Read the full article at CNN.com.



Related:
Meb Keflezighi Becomes First American Male to Win Boston Marathon Since 1983
Buzunesh Deba & Mare Dibaba Take Second and Third Place at 2014 Boston Marathon

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