Since there were several young people whose main means of commensuration is English, the writer of the story presented a brief history of the national struggle for Eritrean Independence, what has been paid, and what needs to be done for the future to preserve it. His main message was that the young people who live in the Diaspora need to be informed, be focused; be united; know their ancestors' history and be committed to tell the history of Eritrea; and work for peace, justice and the truth. He also stated that they need to be vigilant and know the enemies, traitors, renegades, anti-unity elements, and quislings At the same time, he appealed to them to use the greater resources, opportunities, and facilities they have and be successful in maintaining the national sovereignty, territorial integrity of Eritrea, and to work for its economic development and reconstruction. He pointed out that the past generations of Eritreans were successful, even though they had meager resources; and thus there is no reason why the current and future generations should not be victorious and successful in their struggle for nation building and reconstruction.

The main speaker at the Hazbawi Mekete was Tekeste Alem of Cincinnati, Ohio, a veteran Tegadalay. His topic was Firmly Standing Against Enemies. Tekeste has the experience and knowledge to explain the nature of Eritrean struggle for independence and the meaning of being free, because he was one of those dedicated Eritreans who spent several years in the national movement to make Eritrea free and independent. Tekeste told his audience that national interest must come first and there must be dedication and commitment to safeguard what has been achieved. He reiterated that the Eritreans did not fight in vain for 30 years to see Eritrea become an appendage of foreign forces, and to be subservient to the needs of other nations. Tekeste added; "Eritreans would like to be the masters of their own destiny and to establish their own form of government, without getting any directives from anybody". He stated, "Those who do not work for the maintenance of the territorial integrity of Eritrea, but work for the enemy will be judged by the people, history, and their own conscience. Tekeste pointed out, "any Eritrean or Eritrean-American should not accept any false names, accusations, or smear tactics that do not belong to him or her".

At the end of the meeting, the participants had a chance to ask several questions. Tekeste answered all of them with facts, tact, diplomacy, and great patience.
When some of the participants were asked to express their reactions, they stated," The meeting was fantastic, useful, and very motivating".

As an expression of their commitment to challenge any false accusations against Eritrea, and Eritrean-Americans who live in the Buckeye State, the participants elected a five-member coordinating committee that would continue with the task of communicating positive images and historical facts about Eritrea, its people, and communities to elected government officials of the state and to local residents.

Petitions were signed appealing to Senators Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich;, and Congressmen Steve Chabot, John Boehner and Mike Turner, to condemn the false accusations being labeled against Eritrea and for considering Eritrean-Americans as second-class citizens by the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Dr. Jendayi Frazer; and to let the State Department pave the way for the expeditious demarcation of the borer between Eritrea and Ethiopia, according to the final and binding decision issued by the EEBC in April 2002. Hence, the decision of an international organ, the EEBC, must be respected and applied accordingly.
                    
The writer of the story believes that this was the second successful public meeting he witnessed being held in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2007. The participants came with zeal and determination to be ambassadors for their local community and place of origin, Eritrea. They showed a sense of purpose, unity, and commitment to do whatever was requested by the government of Eritrea in Asmara and the authorities in the Diaspora.
 
Tekeste concluded his remarks by asking: "Do you blindfold your eyes when your country is being invaded? Glory to our Martyrs, and Victory to the masses".

THE END

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