I’m glad to have two friends from Afghanistan, Reza Mohammadi and Leo Ko. They both attended Scattergood Friends School and Farm near West Branch, Iowa. I attended Scattergood in the late 1960’s.
I was glad that Reza attended Simpson College here in Indianola so we could spend time together. While at Simpson Reza was involved in social justice work, including supporting Black Lives Matter.
Since graduation, Reza moved to Minneapolis.
A new resource center for Afghan refugees recently opened its doors in Minneapolis that will serve as a resettlement support space for Afghan refugees in the Twin Cities.
The Afghan Cultural Society and other area organizations, helped make the center possible.
Reza reached out via social media to connect with other Afghans living in Minnesota. That’s when he met Afghan Cultural Society co-founders Nasreen Sajady and Amina Baha.
Now Mohammadi works as the Afghan Cultural Society’s family coach, where he helps newly arrived Afghans chart a path toward achieving educational and career goals.
He said his biggest hope for the new center is that it provides a healing space for Afghans.
On Sept. 30, a suicide bomber killed more than 50 people in a Hazara neighborhood in Kabul. Mohammadi, who is a member of the Hazara ethnic minority, quickly sprang into action to organize a local candlelight vigil.
“It was really powerful,” he said. “Within three days’ notice, nearly 200 people showed up.”
Afghan refugee resource hub opens in Minneapolis by Sarah Thamer and Ben Hovland, MPRNews, October 21, 2022 5:25 AM
Quakers and Religious Socialism 