African immigrants for Obama, no buts about it

By GottaLaff

Here's a group we don't hear too much about:

From coast to coast, Somali, Ethiopian, Nigerian and Kenyan Americans are knocking on the doors of their fellow African immigrants, registering new citizens to vote, raising money and preaching Obama's mantra of hope and change. They hope that his prominence will change their status as one of the nation's least-recognized immigrant groups, and that he will one day provide aid to help ease the turmoil and poverty in countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan.

You won't be hearing stories like this about John Sidney McHelms:

At the Ghana Cafe in Adams Morgan, owner Anthony Opare said enthusiastic customers are urging that a brewer in Kenya change the name of its popular beer from Tusker to Obama. "The fact that he's been able to come this far has opened doors for Africans and African descents," Opare said. "To the African, it tells us that . . . one can work hard and get whatever you want. This is the land of opportunity."

Kim Nichols, co-executive director of the African Services Committee in Harlem:

"One of my kids was born in Sudan in a refugee camp and is intensely excited about Obama. One of the people on my staff is a dyed-in-the-wool Republican who's thinking about changing his affiliation so that he can vote for Obama" [...]

"He is an underdog," Endale said. "He has the hardship story of an immigrant. My mom was a single mom. She didn't have much. But I went to school. I'm getting my master's now." [...]

The Obama campaign embraced the support, with a spokeswoman saying it reflects the candidate's "unique ability to connect with Americans from all backgrounds" and shows "why this presidential campaign has become a real force for change."

Big smiley face! But (why does there always have to be a "but"?) ...

There are not many Somalis, Ethiopians, Nigerians and other African immigrants in the United States -- about 1.2 million, only 3.4 percent of all immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute -- and they stand little chance of influencing a presidential election.

But, there's a "but" to the "but":

But what African immigrants lack in numbers, they make up for somewhat in education and income. A 2003 report by the State University of New York at Albany found that African immigrants in the United States have a higher level of education than all other groups, including white and Asian Americans, staying in school an average of 14.5 years. They have a median household income that is higher than that of black Americans, West Indians and Hispanics.

Impressive. And, there's an "and" to the "but" to the "but":

"There's a possibility of getting 10,000 Ethiopians in Virginia," Endale said. "That could be a game-changer."

No ifs, ands, or buts about it.