Our Honourable Figures and Values
The Ethiopian World Federation, Inc., is a black membership organization and an International Tribal Government as well as a corporate body authorized by the Ethiopian Head of State Emperor Haile Selassie I, which thereby places it under the Ethiopian Treaty as follows:
Ethiopia Amity And Economic Relations Agreement: Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations Between The United States of America and Ethiopia
Signed on September 7, 1951, and entered into force on October 8, 1953.
The Ethiopian World Federation, Inc. upholds the sacred traditions, values, and moral foundations rooted in The Divine Legacy of Ethiopia, Black sovereignty, Black unity, and Black Family structure. Our organization rejects all ideologies that compromise the dignity, strength, spiritual, and cultural continuity of our people. We promote righteous conduct, cultural integrity, and upliftment through divine moral order, self-determination, and solidarity. This position is firmly grounded in the Constitution of the Ethiopian World Federation, Inc. The Preamble clearly identifies Black people of the world as beneficiaries of this divine heritage, stating our claim to Ethiopia not only as a nation but as a sacred identity.
The use of “Ethiopian” is inclusive of all African-descended people globally, asserting a collective spiritual, and ethnic connection.
Furthermore, Article I, Section 2 mandates the promotion of fraternal spirit and goodwill, and the dissemination of the teaching of our Father God among our people, with the aim of establishing moral and cultural refinement and cohesion. This affirms a pro-Black, family-centered, and spiritually guided ethic as central to our organizational identity and mission.
In 1936, an organization called United Aid for Ethiopia was formed by visionary Black leaders in America, dedicated to mobilizing support for Ethiopia during the Italian invasion (1935–1941) and uniting the Diaspora Black people scattered across the Americas, the Caribbean, and beyond.
A Harlem delegation that included Reverend William Lloyd Imes, Philip M. Savory, and Cyril M. Philp was sent to England in the summer of 1936 to meet with Emperor Haile Selassie I regarding financial matters. As a result, The Ethiopian World Federation, Incorporated (TEWF, INC.) was established on August 25, 1937, in Harlem, New York, under the divine patronage of Emperor Haile Selassie I and registered in New York City by Dr. Malaku E. Bayen, a member of the Ethiopian Royal family as well as Goulbourne M. Blackett, Matthew E. Gardner and Dorothy H. Bayen, Aida Bastian, Edora Paris, Warren Harrigan and Louis Paul. Dr. Lorenzo H. King, pastor of St. Mark’s Methodist Church in Harlem who was elected as the first president of the organization.
Founding Preamble:
“We, the Black People of the World, in order to effect Unity, Solidarity, Liberty, Freedom and self-determination…”
This reflects TEWF, INC.’s mission to transcend national borders and redefine Ethiopian identity as synonymous with Black heritage, strength, and resilience.
Our Land Grants
Emperor Haile Selassie I authorized several land grants initially to African Americans because of the harsh conditions they faced due to Jim crow laws in America, and their support during the Second Ethiopian Italian War, the land grant stood as a profound testament to the enduring bond between Ethiopia and the African diaspora. The most widely known land grant was given in 1948, Emperor Haile Selassie I granted 200 hectares (approximately 500 acres) of fertile land in Shashamane, Ethiopia, for African Americans and then to all black people of the world so they can have a tangible stake in Ethiopia’s future, free from the racial inequities, it included employment with a salary matching what they had an America and many other benefits; these offers were later opened to all members of the Ethiopian World Federation, Inc. The Shashamane grant was also a touchstone for further grants once our members began developing the land. The Ethiopian World Federation, Inc. was placed over the administration of the land grants.
The grant was envisioned as a haven for those seeking to reconnect with their ancestral homeland, free from the oppression and systemic racism prevalent in the West. Early settlers, including African Americans and later Rastafarians from the Caribbean, embraced this opportunity, establishing a vibrant community that blended Ethiopian traditions with diasporic cultures. However, the Shashamane settlement has faced numerous challenges over the decades. Political upheavals, including the 1974 coup by the Derg regime, led to the rejection of the Government of Emperor Haile Selassie I that modernized Ethiopia, and nationalization of land including the Shashamane grant. This action resulted in the displacement of many settlers and the loss of clear land ownership.
Today, the Ethiopian World Federation, Inc. community in Shashamane are facing tribulations and in need of support. Efforts are underway to secure legal recognition of land rights, improve infrastructure, and revitalize the settlement in line with its original purpose. the Ethiopian World Federation, Inc. calls upon its members and the broader diaspora to engage actively in these initiatives, whether through legal advocacy, resource mobilization, or repatriation. We must increase our numbers in Ethiopia more members with capital, vision, and skills are needed.
By reaffirming our commitment to the Shashamane Land Grant, we honor the legacy of Emperor Haile Selassie I and the vision of a united African diaspora. Let us work collectively to ensure that Shashamane remains a symbol of hope, resilience, and the enduring connection between Ethiopia and its global descendants.
For more information on how to support our Shashamane community visit our projects page.
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Our Vision
Today, Black people across the Diaspora face a deeply fragmented global landscape, navigating systemic pressures that impact our economic stability, family structures, and cultural continuity. True progress cannot be achieved in isolation; our collective strength and elevation depend entirely on our willingness to organize. The Ethiopian World Federation, Inc. answers this call by carrying forward the historic mandate established by Emperor Haile Selassie I and galvanized by Dr. Melaku E. Bayen.
We embrace “Ethiopia” not merely as a geographic modern nation, but as a universal, sacred identity belonging to all African-descended people globally—a boundary-transcending banner of sovereignty, self-determination, and righteous solidarity.
Our vision is to build a highly organized, self-sustaining global network where Black communities worldwide are completely self-reliant and interconnected. By expanding our Chartered Locals into every major city across the globe, we are establishing a practical blueprint for collective governance and mutual aid. Through coordinated economic ventures, legal advocacy, youth development, and historic land-grant repatriation projects, we are converting our shared heritage into tangible socio-economic power. We envision a future where the global Black family is anchored in mutual respect, protected by an institutional safety net, and fully empowered to direct our own destiny.