Today, September 25, is Hazara Genocide Memorial Day, which commemorates the period from 1888 to 1893 when Amir Abdur Rahman Khan led the enslavement, displacement, and ethnic cleansing of the Hazara population in what is now Afghanistan. The atrocities resulted in the massacre of 60% of the Hazara tribe.

I originally “met” Fayeza in February 2024 when she started teaching me Dari, her native language in Afghanistan. Our virtual lessons quickly evolved into exploratory conversations about her life as a Hazara woman in Afghanistan, discussions about current global events, and mini-history lessons.

In this episode, she and I talk about a variety of topics, including what her everyday life is actually like living in Kabul under the Taliban, the exhausting balancing act of resistance vs. survival, and what she hopes to accomplish in the future.

Afghanistan has not historically been under such repressive occupation, but since the U.S. withdrawal in 2021, Fayeza’s adult life has been marked by increasing constriction of movement and opportunity, as the Taliban continually strips away women’s freedom to do things as simple as attending school past age 12, working in most fields, or even going to a park.

Kabul is a place where the audible clack of a woman’s high-heeled shoe on the concrete can be dangerous; thus, for Fayeza, simply continuing to live—a woman with dreams, intellectual depth, quirks, and wit—is a form of rebellion.

🇦🇫 How to support women in Afghanistan:

* Learn more and explore ways to get involved with Rawadari

* Sign the petition to end gender apartheid in Afghanistan and Iran

* Hire them! Take virtual Dari, Pashto, or Farsi language classes with an Afghan woman via iTalki

Over 200,000 Afghans have been evacuated and resettled in the U.S. since the War in Afghanistan came to its chaotic and disappointing end in August of 2021, with the Taliban re-taking control of the country it had ruled in the years before September 11, 2001.

Today’s guest, Omid, is many things: Hazara Afghan, husband, father of four, friend, project manager, new American, and my mentee. In this episode, we talk about how he perceived the earliest days of the War in Afghanistan, his work with the U.S. as a subcontractor, how he navigated the stressful week of evacuating his family from Kabul (while dodging the Taliban), and how he’s adjusting to his new-ish life in the U.S.

Life as an immigrant, refugee, or asylum seeker in the U.S. has various challenges, many of which most Americans will never fully appreciate. But these stories are indelibly the story of America.

Omid’s journey is an important reminder of our promise to the Afghans (and Iraqis) who put their lives on the line to help the U.S. We owe it to them to hear their stories and struggles while celebrating their successes and achievements.

How to get involved:

Volunteer or donate to No One Left Behind: https://www.nooneleft.org/

Local Afghan restaurant in Chicagoland: https://kabulhouse.com/

Sign the petition to end gender apartheid in Afghanistan and Iran: https://endgenderapartheid.today/

Writing is cathartic…but have you ever tried talking to yourself?

Over the last year, I spent too many months strolling around my neighborhood with my AirPods in, pretending to have a meaningful conversation about geopolitics with someone smarter than myself. In reality, I was doing a verbal puzzle, trying to make sense of the discombobulated mess that had been in my mind since Q3 ‘23.

One fateful day, after connecting all of my dots, I decided that my word salad (a Caesar, the king of salads) would be more palatable in podcast form.

In this intro episode, I’ll talk about the impetus for The CIA Reject, why it’s lonely to be a geopolitics (and terrorism/conflict) nerd living in Chicago, and what I hope to continue learning about and sharing with my readers. Godere!