Zahra Ahmadi

Through the Chuck Green Fellowship, I got the opportunity to work with Afghan Cultural Society, a Minneapolis based non-profit organization dedicated to refugee resettlement, working with refugee communities who have been in Minnesota for five years or less. As a fellow at ACS, I worked across multiple departments such as the Family Resource Center (FRC) and Family Education Services (FES).

Within the FRC, I facilitated access to essential public services and benefits, coordinated group driving permit tests with Dari and Pashto interpreters, and assisted with the completion of critical documents such as utility bills, EBT card activations, insurance forms, and more. I also provided Dari translation as needed. In the FES program, I worked closely with Afghan middle and high school students, supporting their navigation of the U.S. education system. Together with colleagues, I organized summer programming for Afghan youth, ranging from college campus visits to recreational outings, fostering both educational enrichment and social connection.

In addition to program work, I conducted independent research with the guidance of my site supervisor, on the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghan refugees, analyzing its destabilizing effects on Afghan lives, and its role in legitimizing the Taliban’s ethno-theocratic regime. My analysis explored how Afghan lives remain bound in a colonial cycle of subjugation, where refugees in the United States are left in a legal limbo, and those in Afghanistan endure systemic oppression under gendered, ethnic, and religious sectarian rules.

My work at ACS has deepened my commitment to community based approaches, where the organization’s integration within the community it serves, is central to its impact. My experience expanded my understanding of how solidarity and mutual aid serve as vital tools in resisting colonial and capitalist oppression. And as I became more connected to the Afghan community and the broader networks of support in Minneapolis – Saint Paul, I also grew more comfortable navigating life in the Twin Cities. Becoming familiar with its neighborhoods, resources, and tight knit community not only enriched my work, but also strengthened my own sense of belonging in this environment.