From: Fenan Russom (fenan.russom@gmail.com)
Date: Fri Feb 26 2010 - 11:51:38 EST
“life is not measured by how many breath you take, but by the moments that
take your breath away”
Sometimes tears are the words the heart can't express. As I stood on the
stage overlooking the crowd I couldn’t help but notices the tears falling
down from my eyes. There aren’t enough words in the dictionary that could
describe the view I witnessed that day. The sound of mothers singing
“wesede, Ere be’al se’re” brought me back to 1991, when we first got our
independence. The sight of children marching chanting “Hade, Libi Hade
Hezbi” overwhelmed me with emotions I can’t explain. Dawit’s Speech (an 8
year old from New York City) gave me a warm feeling of comfort, assuring me
that everything is going to be ok. Made me take a second to thank god for
blessing me with the opportunity to experience this day.
Prior to attending the demonstration someone said to me “Don’t you worry,
you will soon realize that this sanction is a blessing in disguise.” I
never really fully understood what that statement meant until the Morning of
February 22nd . it is then that It dawned on me, the sight of close to 10,00
people standing in front of the white house, proudly elevating our beautiful
flag was indeed a blessing in disguise. The idea of people driving from
Chicago, Atlanta, Canada, New York, Miami, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Boston,
Texas, Baltimore; Eritreans in Geneva, Australia, Sudan & San Francisco,
coordinating a worldwide demonstration for one cause, their country, was
indeed a blessing in disguise.
February 22nd was the testament to the passing of time; it illuminated
reality, vitalized memory, provided guidance for our future path, and
brought us back what we’ve long been missing, UNITY. Only those who truly
experienced the making of history can sustain this day as just more than a
dream. As God’s creatures we often dwell on our own enchantment, we often
give in to the testing of others. For so long, division based on differences
of political ideology has served as stones and obstacles disabling us to
move forward and advance. Nevertheless our love and passion for our country
has changed those stones into flowers of discovery.
February 22nd marked a new historical chapter for Eritrea. it showed the
world that regardless of the circumstance, we the people of Eritrea will
overcome all odds. Regardless if the world is against us, our triumph will
always be exemplary. If the world didn’t know it then I’m sure they now it
now. Eritreans enrich the dreams of unity, and it’s through unity that we’ve
been able to create history. Eritrean people are unknowing transformers of
things, protected by their harmony and love for their country.
There’s no greater blessing then knowing that all your hard work and
efforts has made a differences in the world. As a member of YPFDJ I’m proud
to say that as an organization we rose to leadership, by sheer force of
self-confidence, bravery and tenacity, we were able to host a safe &
peaceful demonstration that revealed the amazing resilience of Eritrean
people. We are forever mindful of the legacy of our grandfathers, the
founder of our kingdom, who perceived their life as a link in a continuous
chain of those who served our nation, and we hope to be a new and strong
link in the same chain. This is only the beginning, we will continue on to
succeed and persevere in defending our country and our people. We are
grateful for everyone’s support and words of encouragement. We hope to
continue this legacy of service both at home and abroad.
*If I could tell all Eritreans out there just one thing it would be that we
are all okay, QESANU, for the youth are here ready to shield you from
harm’s way.*
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