EDITORIAL: Little Ethiopia shows U.S. is a beacon of hope

Leftist critics who relish attacking the United States need to visit Little Ethiopia in Las Vegas.

Little Ethiopia, situated between Twain and University avenues and close to Decatur Boulevard, is Clark County’s first official cultural district. The district is filled with Ethiopian-owned businesses and people hailing from the African country.

Girma Zaid is an Ethiopia native who helped secure the designation. He’s both proud of his heritage and thrilled to be in America.

“I came here to the United States — on Sept. 18, 1970 — with $75 in my pocket, but with $75 million (worth) of hope and confidence knowing that I’m going to make it here,” he said.

What gave him such confidence?

“This is a land of plenty of opportunity for everyone, you just need to go get it, and it does not happen by accident,” he said. “You have to put in a lot of work.”

He’s not alone in praising this sweet land of liberty. Sirage Awoll, who owns Unity Market, said, “It’s good to be in the USA.”

Mehari Merhe helps his wife run Melkam Market. Their multicultural staff helps all customers feel welcome. “We’re not just Ethiopian,” he said. “Everybody who comes is welcome. It’s like America.”

This perspective would come as a shock to those who’ve embraced various trendy theories about America’s many irredeemable sins. This myopic worldview holds that racism and other ills have corrupted all of this country’s institutions — which is why they must be uprooted and replaced — and that success is a product of “privilege” rather than perseverance and hard work.

What a contrast to Mr. Zaid’s perspective that this land has “opportunity for everyone” who is willing to work hard. And he would be in a position to know. He and those like him uprooted their entire lives to come here in an effort to secure the promise of a better life.

What makes America unique isn’t our problems and historical mistakes. No nation is free of such baggage. The difference is our many strengths, which include a republic founded on protecting individual rights and promoting opportunity. Too many of America’s vocal detractors take the blessings of liberty for granted. Most immigrants — having experienced the world’s alternatives — don’t.

Little Ethiopia stands as a powerful rebuke to those who minimize the success of the great American experiment. Despite efforts by leftists to tear it down, this nation remains a beacon of hope for the world. That should be celebrated.