I hung out with Afghans. What happened next will shock you.

I hung out with 450+ of my fellow Afghan Americans this past weekend at the 2nd Afghan American Conference in Los Angeles, California.

It was lit.

I shared and I learned and I listened to my fellow Afghan American. I debated and bared my soul but then we held each other and hugged it out. I laughed until my jaw hurt and yes, I cried. I cried on the first day. The second day. And the third day. The Afghan American Conference made me realize that we share it all: the pain, the anguish, the constant struggle of hyphenation. The resilience. More than that, we share the same dreams and goals. We’re not gonna confine ourselves to your stereotypes. We can be whatever we want and need to be. We can be your Vine star or the Instagram makeup celeb that teaches you how to contour. The person that makes the new app you love so much or maintains your Cloud server. The person that studies intersectionality and works to defeat white supremacy. The person that changes the world by working with marginalized communities to bring about non violent self liberation.

Y’all are the most inspiring folks I’ve ever met. Y’all make me want to be better and work harder. Y’all give me the confidence to be me, without any hesitation or doubt.

For me, last year’s conference was a culmination of 27 years of soul seeking.

This year’s conference was a call to action. We can talk about it and feel good about ourselves. Or we can start to make wholesome changes in our community. We have way too much potential for us not to walk the walk. My challenge from me to you is this: do something. Make change. Take this energy and motivation you have right now and run with it. Don’t let the light dim on you as time passes.

The future is now. There’s much work ahead. But we’re ready. Talk less, do more. Let’s build, fam.

#afgam16 #AAC