Statement in Solidarity with the Afghan Community

content warning: violence, oppression

We are deeply distressed at the escalating crisis in Afghanistan. Our hearts go out to the Afghan people as this latest catastrophe adds to the pain and suffering caused by decades of harm, injustice and neglect. We express profound sorrow at this further trauma and displacement and recognize this has immediate and far-reaching implications for the Afghan people globally. 

We stand in utmost solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and the local Afghan American community. The Bay Area is home to one of the largest Afghan communities in the U.S. and we recognize and celebrate the richness, diversity, and beauty of Afghan culture. We encourage allies to educate themselves on Afghanistan’s history and direct you to Stanford's Abbasi Program for Islamic Studies and the Center for South Asia whose scholars, course offerings, and events provide many opportunities for deep learning and engagement. 

We especially stand in support of Afghan students at Stanford, as well as all marginalized student communities impacted by this global crisis. We encourage all students to prioritize self-care and engage based on their capacity. Below are some advocacy opportunities to assist the Afghan people, followed by campus resources for support and healing.

What You Can Do

Donate to:

• Northern California’s Soft Landing Fund: Support for Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) families from Afghanistan as they start their new life in the Bay Area. 
• Upwardly Global: Connecting Afghan refugees to professional careers in the U.S.
• Emergency Relief Afghanistan: Cash-in-hand relief to the internally displaced.
• Islamic Relief: Direct aid agency working in Afghanistan during the military incursions.

Take Action: 

• Review this Congressional Advocacy How-To and contact your representatives. 
• Sign this appeal to the US government to support Afghanistan's scholars, students, practitioners, civil society leaders, and activists
• Attend a protest in San Francisco’s Union Square on 8/28 organized by the United Afghan Association (UAA).

Continue Learning:

• Resource guide created by advocates on Instagram to help educate & take action for the atrocities that are going on in Afghanistan at this moment.
• Opinion: Monsters, Inc.: The Taliban as Empire’s bogeyman: expert analysis on situating the current crisis within historical and political context.

Campus Resources

• CAPS: Talk with a Psychologist       
• Well-Being @ Stanford: Talk with a well-being coach
• Bridge Peer Counseling: 24/7 peer support counseling and support on the phone 
• Office for Religious and Spiritual Life
   

In solidarity,

The Markaz Resource Center
The Asian American Activities Center (A³C)
Jan Barker Alexander, Assistant Vice Provost of Student Affairs & Executive Director of Centers for Equity, Community, and Leadership (ECL)
Dr. Emelyn dela Peña, Associate Vice Provost for Inclusion, Community and Integrative Learning
Dr. Mona Hicks, Senior Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Dr. Susie Brubaker-Cole, Vice Provost for Student Affairs

*Note: In extending our support to the Afghan people and our Afghan students, the A³C recognizes that the crisis in Afghanistan is painfully familiar to members of our Southeast Asian communities. The scenes we are witnessing may be reminders of the mass exodus and displacement of Southeast Asian refugees after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. We want to also extent our support to our Southeast Asian students as the horrific and violent events in Afghanistan may bring back traumatic memories for their families.  This painful history is a reminder for us to reflect and learn from the past so that we are able to provide the necessary and immediate support for the Afghan people.