Meskerem Assegued was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the height of an Ethiopian renaissance. Under Emperor Haile Selassie, the country had developed a focus on indu- stry and education. When she was a teenager, the emperor was overthrown, bringing the country into a new phase of socialism and military rule. It was a time of fear and uncer- tainty. Teenagers suspected of instigating a revolution became subjects of brutality. After high school, her parents managed to send her to the US where she attended college, mar- ried and had two children. While Meskerem Assegued was still in the US, Ethiopia under- went another revolution and the current government took over. She soon returned to Ethiopia with her family.
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