From “The Power of Personal Stories: The Afghan Women’s Writing Project” by Tahira Khalid

“It is not often that we are able to hear stories from Afghan women themselves in major news and media outlets. Instead, what we are left with is the shadow of one kind of truth. That is, what we learn about Afghan women is one-dimensional—it flattens and diminishes the reality and experiences of the women. Journalism should complicate and challenge our perceptions and pre-conceived notions of situations outside of our personal contexts. However, more often than not, media related to Afghan women is exploitative; it victimizes the women, represents them for outside consumption and hardly sheds light on the actual, diverse realities of women in the country.”

Questions for Consideration

What is the connection between telling one’s story and fighting for one’s rights? How have different groups been silenced from telling their stories? How have women and others broken this silence? What can we learn from the stories of Afghan women?  

 Want to learn more?

• Afghan Women’s Writing Project Gives Voice Without Censorship
• Unfiltered Voices
• The Afghan Women’s Writing Project
• An Outlet for Afghan Women Online 

Free and open to the public. For more information, call 312.422.5580. 

If you need a sign interpreter or require other arrangements to fully participate, please call 312.422.5580. For parking locations near the facility, please visit Chicago Parking Map