Oromo booth at the Festival of Nations

Oromo booth at the Festival of Nations

The Oromo booth at the Festival of Nations in St. Paul, ca. mid-1980s. Used with the permission of Teferi Fufa.

Oromo immigrants and refugees at a social gathering

Oromo immigrants and refugees at a social gathering

Oromo immigrants and refugees gather at the home of a community member in the Twin Cities, 1984. Used with the permission of Teferi Fufa.

Oromo immigrants and refugees at a social gathering

Oromo immigrants and refugees at a social gathering

Oromo immigrants and refugees gather at the home of a community member in the Twin Cities, 1984. Used with the permission of Teferi Fufa.

Oromo cultural show

Oromo cultural show

Members of the Union of Oromo Students in North America (UOSNA) perform at one of their annual events, 1985. Used with the permission of Teferi Fufa.

Flag of the Oromo Liberation Front

Flag of the Oromo Liberation Front

The flag used by the Oromo Liberation Front. Public domain.

Oromo youth at the March for Oromia, 2007

Oromo youth at the March for Oromia, 2007

Oromo youth participate in the March for Oromia at the Minnesota state capitol in St. Paul on July 25, 2007. Photo by Oromia Entertainment. CC BY-SA 2.0

Demonstrators at the March for Oromia, 2007

Demonstrators at the March for Oromia, 2007

Oromo people gather at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul on July 25, 2007, to demonstrate for Oromo rights and self-government in their homeland. Photo by Oromia Entertainment. CC BY-SA 2.0

Women at the March for Oromia in St. Paul, 2007

Women at the March for Oromia in St. Paul, 2007

Oromo women participate in the March for Oromia at the Minnesota state capitol in St. Paul on July 26, 2007. Photo by Oromia Entertainment, CC BY-SA 2.0.

HOW OROMO PEOPLE HAVE SHAPED THE STATE

Oromos in Minnesota: The Making of Little Oromia

After Kenya, which supports about half a million native Oromos, the state of Minnesota has the largest population of Oromo people outside their homeland in Ethiopia. As a result, Oromo people worldwide know the Twin Cities as Little Oromia. The story of how the area came to earn this name is intertwined with Oromo culture, politics, migration, religious faith, and adaptation to life in the United States in the late twentieth century.

Marvel Cooke

Marvel Cooke

Marvel Cooke, ca. 1950s.

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