From Afghanistan to the United States

On September 24th, our community gathered to hear the incredible journey of Sarwat Najib and Najib Azad, a couple who fled Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul and rebuilt their lives in the United States with their young children. The room was filled with warmth and compassion—a powerful contrast to the fear and hostility too often directed toward immigrants and refugees today.

Sarwat began the evening by reminding everyone that when women rise, communities thrive. Before the Taliban’s return to power, she ran Shamla Atelier, a fashion house that trained and employed Afghan women. Through fashion, she empowered dozens of women to learn new skills, earn an income, and support their families.

Interwoven in her story were glimpses of Afghanistan’s vibrant history—one that many Americans may not know. Afghanistan was once a place that celebrated and uplifted women. In fact, Afghan women gained the right to vote in 1919, one year before women in the United States. Queen Soraya Tarzi, a fierce advocate for women’s education, helped lead the country into a period of progress and hope in the early 20th century.

Sarwat also spoke about Afghanistan’s artistic legacy—its stunning blue lapis lazuli gemstones that have colored art and architecture for centuries. But her tone shifted as she described the fear that gripped her family when the Taliban regained control. Escaping the country was just the beginning.

Once in the U.S., Sarwat was surprised to find that women here still face major barriers: pay gaps, high maternal mortality rates, and limited access to childcare and family leave. Despite these challenges, she has started over—rebuilding her fashion brand as Shamlla LLC and co-founding the Focus Development Organization with Najib.

With donated materials and community support, Sarwat now leads sewing classes that bring immigrant and local women together. The classes are about more than sewing—they’re about connection. Women share their stories, learn from one another, and discover that they have far more in common than they ever imagined.

Najib followed Sarwat’s presentation with a more detailed telling of the family’s life in Afghanistan and subsequent escape in in August 2021 as described in his book, Beyond Evacuation: From The Himalayas To The Statue of Liberty. During his time as a spokesperson for the President of Afghanistan, Najib survived three suicide bombing attacks. Once Kabul fell to the Taliban, he was a marked man they wanted dead and he had to go into hiding for several days before being able to make the dangerous journey to the airport for evacuation with Sarwat and their children. Shockingly, their children are the fourth generation who have had to leave Afghanistan.

Najib recalled a particularly poignant memory: only weeks after Sarwat donated clothing from her fashion house to internally displaced Afghan women, he watched as she herself stood in a refugee camp line, waiting for a used shirt for their two-year-old son.

Najib also spoke candidly about the pain of resettling in a new country while watching Afghanistan’s struggles from afar. His words resonated even more deeply as he reflected on recent U.S. policies, including the loss of Temporary Protected Status for 11,000 Afghans and the new travel ban. The crowd’s discomfort was palpable as he reminded us that many Afghans targeted by the Taliban had risked their lives to aid the United States.

Before closing, Najib offered practical ways to help:

• Call your elected representatives and advocate for humane immigration policies.

• Support new refugee families, especially as the Refugee Resettlement Program and Welcome Corps funding was ended by the administration.

• Donate to Focus Development Organization, which is creating an online school for Afghan girls banned from education.

• Establish “know your rights” contacts in your community to help immigrants respond to ICE actions.

The evening ended with color and hope. Sarwat displayed her breathtaking Afghan fashion, jewelry, and handmade leather goods, while Najib signed copies of his book until every last one sold out. If you missed out on a copy, you can still find one by going to his website.

Their story reminded everyone in the room that resilience takes many forms. Even in exile, we can rebuild. Even after loss, we can still create beauty. And even when the world feels divided, shared humanity can bring us back together.