James Jeffrey

GlobalPost
A mass of protesters wearing white and carrying Ethiopian flags gather in the street

Uptick in church burnings raises alarm in Ethiopia

These incidents of arson and murder come at a time when tensions between the country’s ethnic groups  —  including Oromo, Amhara and Tigrayan — are already high and causing divisions.

Uptick in church burnings raises alarm in Ethiopia
Djibouti City port, sundown.

Living among superpower enemies: Just another day in the life of Djibouti locals

Living among superpower enemies: Just another day in the life of Djibouti locals
a street scene in addis ababa, ethiopia

US-Ethiopia relationship changing amid Horn of Africa power struggle

US-Ethiopia relationship changing amid Horn of Africa power struggle
chicago

The convention chaos Democrats wish never happened

The convention chaos Democrats wish never happened
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerk embrace

Historic breakthrough between Ethiopia and Eritrea shows no sign of slowing down

Historic breakthrough between Ethiopia and Eritrea shows no sign of slowing down
A photographic contact sheet of images of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968

The liberal ideal that died with Robert Kennedy

After Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, many believed Robert Kennedy was going to carry on the reforming fight. But when he too was assassinated many lost hope for a new America. Looking back 50 years on after his death on June 6, 1968, some argue that Kennedy’s death meant America lost a liberal idealism that has never been recaptured.

The liberal ideal that died with Robert Kennedy
An open book of the Maqdala manuscripts.

Why the debate continues over repatriating looted Ethiopian treasures

Treasures looted by the British Army from Ethiopia in 1868 have all but escaped attention — until now, as museums and institutions increasingly wrestle with facing the past and doing what’s best for the precious artifacts under their custodianship while making them available to the public.

Why the debate continues over repatriating looted Ethiopian treasures
Two months previously at Ebenezer Baptist Church, on Feb. 4, 1968, King gave his famous “Drum Major” sermon. At his widow's request, King eulogized himself, with a recording of the “Drum Major” sermon played at the funeral.

Laying an American saint to rest

Flip Schulke’s photos of the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. highlight the emotions felt by mourners and around the nation as America came to terms with an assassin’s bullet. Fifty years on, many of those emotions continue to be felt in a divided nation questioning what sort of country it wants to be.

Laying an American saint to rest
Overlooking the camps for Somalis displaced by ethnic violence in the lee of the Kolenchi hills in the Somali region.

Social media users in America are stoking Ethiopia's ethnic violence

Social media activists in the US appear so hell-bent on ousting the current Ethiopian regime that they will risk ethnic violence that could tear Ethiopia apart.

Social media users in America are stoking Ethiopia's ethnic violence
Sixty-four soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the 24th United States Infantry, a predominantly black unit, were tried in the largest court martial in US military history over their roles in the Camp Logan riot. Thirteen were sentenced to death.

Remembering the black soldiers executed after Houston's 1917 race riot

On Dec. 11, 1917, a group of 13 black soldiers were hanged for their part in a little-remembered and deadly race riot. They were condemned to death after a trial many called unjust. Now, relatives on both sides of that Houston riot are uniting to preserve the memory of the event and to find some justice for those executed soldiers.

Remembering the black soldiers executed after Houston's 1917 race riot
At a camp for displaced Ethiopians outside Dire Dawa, it's claimed that this Somali boy lost the sight in his left eye after Oromo police threw a rock that hit him in the face. Ethiopia is experiencing one of its worst population displacements due to viol

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Ethiopians are caught between ethnic violence and shadowy politics

Ethiopia has experienced one of its worst population displacements due to violence in decades. Now stuck in camps, displaced Ethiopians are trying to come to terms with what their future may hold — while accusations and conspiracy theories abound about why the violence occurred.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Ethiopians are caught between ethnic violence and shadowy politics
Students at the University of Texas at Austin visit the Jefferson Davis exhibit at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

In Texas, a model of what to do with unwanted Confederate statues

All across the US, Confederate statues are coming down in response to recent racial violence opening old wounds. But what happens afterwards to these contentious historical artifacts that many Americans still hold dear?

In Texas, a model of what to do with unwanted Confederate statues
An Eritrean refugee girl plays with clay in front of a shelter in Mai-Aini refugee camp near in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, Feb. 10, 2016.

As Western nations shut out migrants, Ethiopia's doors are open — even to its enemy

Every day, Eritreans make the perilous journey across the border into Ethiopia where the prospect of a refugee camp within the borders of their country’s enemy, increasingly holds more promise than staying home. And Ethiopia appears only too willing to oblige.

As Western nations shut out migrants, Ethiopia's doors are open — even to its enemy
Djibouti port

China is building its first overseas military base in Djibouti — right next to a key US one

Djibouti was once known for little more than French legionnaires, atrocious heat and the sordid nightlife of its seaside capital. Nowadays it’s viewed as offering some of the most prime military real estate on the planet.

China is building its first overseas military base in Djibouti — right next to a key US one

How a mild stimulant generates hundreds of millions of dollars a year

'To really understand khat you have to chew it.'

How a mild stimulant generates hundreds of millions of dollars a year