The origins of Ethiopian-Americans for Change can be traced back to the presidential campaign of 2008, when a group of enthusiastic Obama supporters formed a group called Ethiopians for Obama.  From there, Ethiopians for Obama grew into a nationwide organization with literally thousands of Ethiopians working across the nation to ensure a broad participation of Ethiopian-Americans in the 2008 election.  Ethiopians for Obama registered thousands of Ethiopians who were never involved in politics and bothered to vote.    The countless hours spent making phone calls, canvassing, traveling out of state, manning registration tables, and holding informational sessions paid off on November 4th, 2008.  On that day, in the City of Alexandria alone, over 10,000 Ethiopian-Americans turned out and voted.  Through the hard work of Ethiopians for Obama members, the Obama campaign released a letter to the Ethiopian-American community thanking Ethiopians for the countless contributions they have made to this great nation—a historical moment for our community.

After the election, Ethiopians for Obama evolved into Ethiopian-Americans for Change. Ethiopian-Americans for Change is a grass-roots organization that is dedicated to the political and cultural advancement of Ethiopian-Americans through a vibrant civic engagement.  The charter of Ethiopian-Americans for Change is to seek out ideas from all entities that will advance the social, political, and cultural interests of Ethiopian-Americans and endorse those ideas on a non-partisan basis.  Ethiopian-Americans for Change aims to transform the way that Ethiopians view political and civic engagement by staying true to the grass-roots nature that empowers all to be active participants in the direction of the organization.