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Honorable Representative Mike Honda |
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 The Honorable Representative Mike Honda represents Silicon Valley -- the 15th Congressional District in California. He was first elected to Congress in 2000. The idea to form a Congressional Ethiopian Caucus first arose based on Rep. Honda’s conversations with Ethiopian-Americans constituents in his district, in order to have a forum in Congress to address with issues important to Ethiopian Americans. As Chair of the Congressional Ethiopian Caucus, Rep. Honda has been an active advocate in the area of human rights and democratization in Ethiopia. Furthermore, the Caucus brought the issue of Ethiopian refugees in Kenya and the Sudan before the Secretary of State.
The Caucus asked for an investigation into the intolerable and inhuman conditions Ethiopian refugees live under and asked that those conditions be improved. More recently, Rep. Honda has fought for freedom of the press in Ethiopia, successfully petitioning the Ethiopian government to allow the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association to operate freely. Additionally, Rep. Honda has introduced the Free and Fair Elections in Ethiopia Act in an effort to ensure that Ethiopia maintains and strengthens the tradition of democracy that began with the 2000 elections. Rep. Honda plans to work towards achieving a broader awareness of the HIV/AIDS disease, more prevention methods, and clinics for those suffering from the disease, as well as more financial support from industrialized countries. The Caucus has traveled to Ethiopia to view firsthand the problems of hunger and famine and is working to secure the resources and technical expertise to ensure that all Ethiopians are food secure as quickly as possible. Rep. Honda was recently elected to be the Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and also serves as the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and Co-Chair of the Democratic Caucus’s Outreach Task Force. He serves the House Committee on Science, and on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Rep. Honda is committed to being a strong, clear voice for Ethiopian Americans to continue his work which benefits Ethiopia, the US, the continent of Africa, and the world. SEED salutes Congressman Mike Honda for his relentless support in advancing the interests of the Ethiopian Community in the Diaspora. Thank you Congressman Honda! |
Honored Members 
