Aurora, Colorado, has made history by appointing Amsalu Kassaw to its City Council. Amsalu, an immigrant from Ethiopia and a lieutenant at Aurora's immigration detention center, is the first Ethiopian American to hold public office in Colorado and the first immigrant on the Aurora City Council.
He was chosen from three candidates to fill a vacant seat and will be sworn in on January 13th. The appointment has been celebrated by the Ethio-American Development Council. While Aurora has had immigrant council members before, Amsalu is the first from a racial minority group.