The City also passes resolution proclaiming May 7, 2012 as “Prince Ermias Day”
H. Gippy Graham, Mayor of Frankfort, KY presented His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie the Honorary Key to the city of Frankfort (capital city of Kentucky) for his strategic leadership, active participation in designing programs to assist African peacekeeping, reconciliation, and border dispute resolution. The Prince was also honored for his active role in African charitable works, cultural activities and historical preservation, as well as keeping the legacy of the institutions of Ethiopia’s ancient monarchy from falling into oblivion.
The event was held during the 13th annual interdisciplinary conference on African Studies hosted by Kentucky State University (KSU). This year, the Conference focused on the theme “How will Africa’s growing Economic development Impact the people and the environment?” The conference brought scholars, KSU students and professionals from various disciplines and institutions to KSU to celebrate African heritage.
During the event, Professor Gashaw Lake, Dean of the College Professional Studies at KSU introduced His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias, the President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia and the representative of the Ethiopian Crown in exile, as a guest speaker to the participants. Prince Ermias, in his speech, introduced his new initiative to bring pure drinking water to the People of Africa while helping to improve their ecological conditions. The project, which is named “The Prince Ermias Shale-Selassie Water Initiative for Africa” (WIA), is a low-cost, new and environmentally positive technology capable of rapidly transforming life for millions of people, not just in response to emergencies, but as a permanent building block for social development. The WIA offers these new technologies for all and works not only on its own projects, but also with all other aid agencies and foundations to achieve Africa’s renaissance.
Professor Lake, who was also one of the coordinators of the annual conference at KSU, praised the Prince’s noble personality as a great man who transformed the Crown Council and his own life into a mission to improve the welfare of Africans wherever they are.
*Prince Ermias was named the recipient of the International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA), and was given the Silver Star Award of Outstanding contributions to strategic Progress through humanitarian achievements because of his work for Ethiopian Refugees in Africa.
(The 13th Annual Interdisciplinary Roundtable Conference on African Studies was held at the Kentucky State University April 7-9, 2012.)
