Still Time to Buy a Gift Card for an Afghan Family Join A4D in Helping There’s still time to contribute to the A4D Immigration Action Team’s gift card program for Afghan refugees! You have until December 21 to participate. Please purchase a gift card, or multiple cards, from merchants that provide needed goods and services in or near the Beaverton area, where the refugees are being settled. Some examples are Target, Fred Meyer, Costco, and Safeway. When you’ve made your purchase, get in touch via email with Guy Nelson, the Immigration Action Team co-lead, to let him know and mail the card to him. Guy’s details are: 2309 SW First Avenue Unit 1543 Portland, OR 97201 gnelson181@aol.com Guy will deliver the cards to Lutheran Community Services (LCS), the organization resettling refugees in the Portland area. LCS will provide A4D the names of the families who receive cards. Contact Guy with questions. Anyone can join in so be sure to share this information with friends and family. Do consider opening your heart and wallet for an Afghan refugee family with a gift card. They have endured the unimaginable because of the assistance they provided Americans in Afghanistan. Let's help them start a new life in our community! Free Webinar on Afghan Society and Politics Human Rights First is offering a free webinar, Understanding the Afghan Refugee Crisis, on December 16, beginning at 10:00am. The webinar offers a primer on Afghan society and politics for Americans seeking to understand how to support Afghan refugees in the US. It will provide context for the ongoing crisis and an historical overview of the effects of American intervention and the Taliban resurgence. It will also highlight the emergence of various fault lines—ideological, ethnic, religious, and regional—that inform Afghans' search for security and stability and will conclude with a 30-minute Q&A session. Though free, you must register here to attend. You’ll, also, have the opportunity to make a donation to Human Rights First when you register. The Growing Anti-Democratic Movement in the US Two recent articles, one in The Atlantic and the other in the New York Times,draw attention to the strengthening anti-democratic movement in our country. Highly recommended reading, especially as we embark on a new year and upcoming elections. See You in January! There will be no A4D monthly meeting in December but mark your calendars for January 25, when Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan will be our guest. Enjoy the holidays!
- Act for Democracy