TO THE AFGHAN PEOPLE: WE WILL KEEP FIGHTING

In March 2016, when my grandmother — my absolute favorite person in the world — passed away, I was over 7,000 miles away in Kabul, Afghanistan, on a work trip to meet with Afghan women, human rights defenders, public servants and others working on improving the lives of their countrymen and women. I couldn’t make it back to the U.S. in time to be there with her during the last moments of her life, or to attend her funeral, and that killed me inside. It still does. But there was also something very poignant and poetic about her granddaughter standing on the soil of her homeland, taking in the majestic beauty of its snowcapped mountains, when she breathed her last breaths. I pray that somewhere in her soul she knew that’s where I was, and why I couldn’t be there to hold her hand and kiss her forehead.

Because of my grandmother and the example set by incredible Afghan women in my life across generations, the cause of women’s rights has always been important to me. In the last 20 years, Afghan women and girls have made substantial gains in the areas of education, health care, economic inclusion, and civic and social life. Millions of girls in school and university; women in every level of government and public service; women judges, lawyers, journalists, activists and so much more have been working toward progress in Afghanistan not only for themselves and their families but for the future of their country. These gains are real and undeniable, and under different circumstances, they would have continued to build on that trajectory. But today, these women are at risk as they face a dictatorial regime run by a terrorist organization — which is the only accurate way to describe the Taliban — that seeks to control every aspect of their lives.

Of course Afghans, like Americans, want to live in peace and security. But the reason 66,000 members of the Afghan military and police forces died fighting for their country — the reason there are still brave women today who stand up to the Taliban for their God-given right to education and

opportunity — the reason thousands of Afghans who would rather leave everything behind and start life anew somewhere else — is because Afghans also want the freedoms that Americans take for granted. Imagine that your ability to go to school, continue in your profession, read the news, post on social media, protest — all the freedoms you’ve had for the last 20 years — are suddenly taken away from you overnight by a Nazi-like government that came to power in a coup. What would you do?

The international community needs to step up in this moment. It needs to commit to humanitarian protection; to ensure humanitarian NGOS are able to provide assistance to Afghans in need — in particular women and girls who face disproportionate risks to their health, safety and well-being; to commit to welcoming refugees and create inclusive environments that help them integrate into their new lives; and to lower any barriers to evacuation and visa processing for Afghans who are being hunted by the Taliban for their work with the international community in any capacity. The Taliban have not changed — they are the same Taliban who do not believe in human rights and democracy; who treat women as less than human; and who distort religion into something it is not for their own purposes. These are issues of life and death, and the world cannot turn away.

My grandmother had a way of knowing when I was stressed or melancholic even if I seemed myself on the outside. In those moments, she would look at me and say, “Have the heart of a lion.” I carry that with me every single day when I need a reminder to keep going, keep pushing — for the vulnerable, the marginalized, the displaced, and all those whom society is too eager to forget because it’s simply easier to turn away than to confront suffering and injustice.

And to the Afghans who have worked for 20 years — and much longer — to make a better life for themselves, their children, and the future children of Afghanistan, I say: Have the heart of a lion. There are so many of us across all walks of life who are trying to amplify your voices in every way possible. You are not forgotten, and we will keep fighting.