The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 33
L
IKE MANY URBAN AREAS, Roanoke is home to people from
all walks of life, including refugees. United States law defines a
refugee as an individual located outside the country who " demonstrates
that they were persecuted or fear persecution due to race,
religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular
social group. "
Not quite two years ago, Roanoke saw in influx in its refugee
population when a number of refugees from Afghanistan were
resettled in the area by organizations like Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC)
following the Taliban taking control of the country after the United States military
withdrawal.
" It has been incredible to be part of the response to assisting Afghan evacuees rebuild
their lives here in Virginia, " says Katie Dillon, CCC's marketing manager.
One of the refugees CCC helped get to Roanoke is 21-year-old Zai. She asked to
only be identified by her surname, a common Afghan name, out of fear that her family
back in Afghanistan could be persecuted because of her speaking out.
Having grown up after the Taliban's ill-fated first attempt at governing Afghanistan,
Zai received a full education. Despite the stability of her upbringing, the knowledge that
the Taliban sought a return to power caused her much unease. Its policies of limiting
the education and movement of women were top of mind.
Her concern proved to be prescient. " When they came, I lost everything, " she says.
At the time that the Afghan government fell in mid-2021, she was studying at a
university and working at a government television station as a marketing assistant.
Due to her sex and line of work, she felt she was a target. " It's so hard for women
because the Taliban always wanted to attack and kill women journalists, " she says.
Zai remembers the first day of the invasion as being very hectic. " We heard shooting.
It was a bad situation. The cars were stopped on the streets. It was like somebody
closed everything, " she recalls.
She left the station and ran to her family's apartment. " My parents shut down the
lights. They closed the doors, " she says.
She received a text the following day from a colleague who told her that many who
feared the Taliban were going to the Kabul International Airport in the hopes of safe
passage out of the country.
At first, she didn't believe her colleague. " How could someone go out of the country
without having a visa or a process? " she remembers thinking. After her colleague
informed her that she had already been exfiltrated to Qatar, she knew what she had to do.
She told her family that she was leaving for the airport, with only her phone, passport
and identification card. To protect herself, she wore a hijab.
TheRoanoker.com
May/June 2023 33
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The Roanoker May/June 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker May/June 2023
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - Cover1
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - Cover2
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 3
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 4
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 5
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 6
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 7
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The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 11
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The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 49
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 50
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 51
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 52
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 53
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 54
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 55
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 56
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 57
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The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 60
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 61
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 62
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 63
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 64
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The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 72
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The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 75
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The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 91
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The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 96
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 97
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The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 99
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 100
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 101
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 102
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 103
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The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 105
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The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 130
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 131
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 132
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 133
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 134
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 135
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 136
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 137
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 138
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 139
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 140
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 141
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 142
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 143
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 144
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 145
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - 146
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - Cover3
The Roanoker May/June 2023 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/rkr-jan-feb-2025-with-vbrl
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-nov-dec-2024
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https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-may-june-2024-updated
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-march-april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-january-february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-november-december-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-july-august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-may-june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-march-april-2022
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https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/RKRND21
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_2020_1112
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20200708
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20190102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20181112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20180506
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20170910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/TheRoanoker_JulyAugust2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/TheRoanoker_MayJune2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20170304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20161112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20150102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_201402
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