Mehr Needs A Miracle
Mehr Mursal Amiri is a 26 year old female Afghan reporter who was finishing up her the last year of law school, when the Taliban took control of Kabul. As a news anchor, upon arriving at the tv station for work, she was met by Taliban soldiers with weapons drawn and told to cover her face and go home. Told she was no longer needed, she was lucky to be allowed to leave. Mehr soon become 'wanted' by the Taliban who put her name on their target list (as a high priority) for speaking out against the Taliban.
As a news anchor loved and trusted by all of Afghanistan, she had to hide her recognized face and silence her familiar voice. As a woman, under Taliban rule, she was no longer allowed to be in the media or get her degree. Upon receiving threats from the Taliban and having her family's home invaded, she and her family went into hiding. Changing her address every day, moving from location to location, she managed to keep under the radar just long enough for her and her family, after several attempts, to escape the Taliban who stripped them of their freedom and their funds.
Mehr needs a miracle. Having left behind everything besides what they could carry, Mehr and her family are starting with nothing... nothing but hope. Funds are needed to get Mehr and her family established with basics needs and also security, as she plans to continue to speak out.
Mehr's hope is to keep her family safe and her story heard. She's happy she made it out, but sad so many haven't and won't. So many women will be left unseen and unheard. Mehr's hope is to return to law school and finish her degree to stand up for others who can't stand for themselves. In the process, she's dedicated to helping other Afghan women be seen.
Mehr Miracle: The Voice of the Movement
A voice to speak out and speak up for a nation of women that for too long have been silenced, Mehr Mursal Amiri represents a million unheard voices.
As the official voice of the I AM A MILLION VOICES movement, Mehr shares never before seen audio and video while trapped inside the borders of Kabul. Her voice in this video was recorded while she was in hiding from the Taliban.
With your help Mehr works to raise awareness and hope for her Afghan sisters who remain silenced by the Taliban. She represents a million voices and has built a stage with her courage and strength for them to be seen and heard. Just as she fought for her own freedom, she will now fight for the freedom of other women. Dedicated to producing a monthly column in AwareNow Magazine, she will report on the stories of other Afghan women. She'll not let their voices be silenced.
The Story of the Movement
While hiding from the Taliban in Kabul, Mehr was introduced to Allié McGuire, the Editor-in-Chief of AwareNow Magazine. Expressing interest in sharing her story, Mehr spoke to Allié over the phone for an interview published in 'The Source Edition' of AwareNow.
In that first conversation, the two connected in a way and on a level that neither could have expected. Instantly dedicated to Mehr, her safety and her story, Allié committed herself to having Mehr safely seen and heard.
While this story begins with two women who were complete strangers (an Afghan reporter in her 20's and an American publisher in her 40's), this story is not about what is different. Rather, it's about what is the same. With the same dedication to protecting truth and preserving human rights, this is a story of our shared humanity. This is a story worth everything.
The spirit of the movement started decades ago, this movement itself began with the sharing of a single story. Read the interview that started it all: 'In Hiding With Hope'
