(Via Scottsdale Congregational UCC)
The following is a note from Valarie Kaur:
Family,
We are reeling. As we watch the horror in Afghanistan, grief and rage are tearing through us.
But we are not helpless.
I was just on the phone with my dear friend who has worked and lived in Kabul on and off for fifteen years. He helped build the children’s circus in Afghanistan. Through him, I had watched the circus grow: It was a place where Afghan kids learned how to juggle and do magic, a place where girls found their voice, where children found joy against a backdrop of war.
”They’re burning all evidence of the children’s circus,” he said. "There will be no singing or dancing under the Taliban. And no magic."
I wanted to scream.
“Listen, we have a refugee crisis ahead,” he said. “And no matter how people are feeling about the U.S. war, we have an obligation now to the thousands who will be persecuted if we don’t act.”
Here was my friend, working day and night to get loved ones he knew on flights out of Kabul. No matter how hopeless I felt, he didn’t need my despair. He needed my hands. I took a breath.
“Okay. What do we do?”
And he sent me information.
My loves, there will be time to assess how we got here, and how our nation failed us since 9/11. But first, we need to get people out. Now.
I invite you to do one thing listed below. And spread the word. What we do now will shape what happens next.
What if this was the moment we made America a safe home for all refugees? What if we turned America into a place where refugees were not banned or detained or caged at the border, but welcomed with support and solidarity? What if we began to reckon with the impact of our nation's actions globally -- and chose consistent repair? Imagine America as a place that sees no stranger. It would be nothing less than revolutionary.
So I breathe with you -- and push,
Valarie
How to Take Action
Follow, donate, and share TODAY and this week
(click on links)
#1 No One Left Behind is working to secure chartered flights and is the key organization helping to evacuate and resettle Afghans in the Special Immigration Visa (SIV) process. These flights are available to any Afghan that is at-risk. Donate on their website. You can follow them on Instagram at @NoOneLeftBehindUS.
#2 International Refugee Assistance Program (IRAP) is providing legal resources for displaced Afghans, including support for the SIV process and Afghan P-2 refugee program, plus resources for persons not eligible for visa. Donate. You can follow them on Instagram at @RefugeeAssistance.
#3 Church World Services is working to resettle Afghan refugees. Sign-up to sponsor a family arriving in your community. Donate to the resettlement efforts. You can follow them on Instagram at @CWS_Global.
Let your voice be heard
EMAIL your elected officials to urge them to expand refugee protections for Afghans fleeing persecution and violence. Find your representatives and an email script here.