We chose to follow Siddiq during the Election Day in Philadelphia. He was not a US Citizen at that time but still was involved in the Election - he urged his clients, members of the Sudanese community to register to vote. So, we went with Siddiq to Democratic Councilwoman Blackwell's campaign headquarters (she was running unopposed) and we see that Africans are making inroads in the political system which makes sense - as business owners they have stakes in the neighborhoods they work and live in. What is even more insightful is Siddiq's analysis at the end where he talks about the next step - acknowledging that it was OK for some Africans to have campaigned for the Republican Katz but at the end the day 'we should be able to resolve our differences'. In a way, from the community's perspective that's the equivalent of playing both sides - if Siddiq's crew is successful great - but there is also need to have equally community-oriented political activists on the other side - that's how the community wins. A win-win. Interesting. After-all, Siddiq comes from Sudan where 'everyone' is a certified politician. Or for that matter, Eritrea where I come from - you will undoubtedly find the most distilled and multifaceted analysis of global politics - simply go to any cafe in Asmara - or in this case perhaps a cafe in Khartoum will yield equally successful results.

What is important though is that Siddiq has his heart in the right place and as long as that is the case, involvement in local politics can only help improve African immigrants conditions locally. As the immigrant communities become 'hyphenated' Americans, they stand to have more power than they realize to affect the situation in their home countries. So, the first step is made - the African immigrant communities' involvement in the local Election supporting Mayor Street, which the Mayor duly took note of. Immediately after Mayor Street's election, Siddiq was one of a select few African Community Leaders that had a private meeting with Mayor Street and his staff. An Executive Decree is in the works to create a new Cabinet position - Liaison for African Community Affairs. When Siddiq said, 'this is a victory day' at the end of the piece he didn't know then, indeed what a victory it would be - not simply those involved in the political process - but for the entire African immigrant communities in Philadelphia - they will now have a voice in City Hall. It was a victory day, indeed.