As America faces the exhausting political election, that has caused such a permanent and volatile divide between the parties, and the break up between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, our lives have felt a little uncertain and off balance.

However, the current events of this Sunday, October 2nd, Ethiopia has had to mourn the loss of 52 of it’s citizens, while exercising what we are privileged to have, freedom of religion and speech.

The tragic loss makes our problems with our leaders seem minuscule and petty, in light of Ethiopia’s struggle for power between the Tigrayan ethnic group and the common folk of regions, such as Oromiya, the place of the massacre. (The Tigrayan people are a group who have dominance over Ethiopia’s military and politics).

This Sunday, the people of a town called Bishoftu, gathered together for an annual celebration, named Irrechaa, a celebration of Thanksgiving to give thanks to their God for the blessings and mercies they have been given within that year.

While gathered in their festivities, some started to chant anti-government slogans and marched up to their stage, where the region’s leaders were speaking, holding their arms over their heads.

This symbolic notion has been a current representation of the protests that have been going on throughout the year- some ending fatally.

Police tried breaking up the protest by firing rubber bullets in the air and setting off tear gas, which caused a frantic stampede, killing 52 people, and many more severely injured.

There was even a ditch that many people fell into during the stampede. A man on record, who was fortunately pulled out, said that the first man who fell in was suffocated by those falling on top of him, and that he was lucky to be alive.

Although the government is spinning this to make themselves the victims, it has been documented that the Oromo people have faced persecution and harsh discrimination from the Tigrayan people for a long time.

In spite of the government making this, as what I believe, a disgusting cover-up of their oppression to their own Ethiopian people, they have set a three-day mourning period in recognition of the massacre.

Ethiopian-Americans have felt the connection and devastation here in The States as well.

As there is a good number of Ethiopians here in America that affiliate themselves with the Oromo people, they were a part of the celebration of Irrechaa, and although the community was so struck by the loss that swept throughout Ethiopia, those here continued to celebrate in honor of those lives.

I hope that Irrechaa, a day for giving thanks for the mercies that they have been shown throughout the year, is now seen as a day where those who celebrate it, can see some ray of hope in all of this tragedy.

For us here in America, I hope that we can see that our problems aren't so bad after all.

We have the freedom to express ourselves.

We have the freedom to worship who and what we want.

We have the freedom to say what we want.

And now, since the day that love became love regardless of gender,

We have the freedom to love who we want.

I know I will now forever look upon the day of October 2nd, the celebration of Irechaa, to be grateful for the freedoms I possess, and will try to act on the hopes for change in the most effective way I can.

God bless the lives that were lost,

and those who are blessed enough to get up in the morning for another day.