October 28, 1999

Dear Congresswoman Jackson Lee:

I must be honest and tell you that I was extremely disappointed to read your remarks on October 26, 1999, to the congressional hearing on House Concurrent Resolution 46 urging for the end of the war between the two brotherly African countries of Eritrea and Ethiopia.

A murderous war is raging between this two brotherly African people and their respective governments, which also happen to be great allies of our government. So far this senseless war has consumed the lives of 70,000 Ethiopian and Eritrean combatants, not to speak of the grave economic ruin it has brought upon these two of the poorest nations in Africa.

As an African American congresswoman, one would expect you to be most sensitive and neutral to this needless war between two brotherly African countries and speak words of healing and reconciliation that would bring our African brothers and sisters closer towards peace. You could have spoken about how this war is casuing the cruel death of many young soldiers on both sides, tearing families apart, separating children from their parents, fomenting divisions instead of bringing harmony, dragging both nations backward in their promising war against their common enemy, POVERTY!

But you chose to pour fuel to the already raging fire instead of words of peace and wisdom to extinguish the balzing inferno of war. You chose instead to echo partisan words that are virtually taken from the propaganda pamphlets of one of the parties to this conflict. I literally cringed to read your embarrassingly one-sided statement. As an American of African ancestry, I am ashamed that such outrageously divisive remarks were uttered in the halls of congress by an African American Representative. What makes your unwise statement so painful is that you are now representing the district that was once proudly represented in Congress by the honorable gentle lady, the late Barbara Jordan, and the honorable gentleman, the late Mickey Leland. What a shame! What a letdown and a disservice to our African brothers and sisters and to your African American constituents of the 18th district in Texas!

I plead with you to recognize your error in judgment and have the courage and decency to revise your statement before it is permanently entered into the congressional records.

Sincerely,

Elias Amare Gebrezgheir
Trenton, New Jersey
EliasAmare@aol.com