Afghan Cultural Society's office space offers hope and healing

Beyond the large, bright windows at the Afghan Cultural Society, immigrant-owned restaurants and colorful murals line a bustling Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis.

Peek inside, and there's a calmer scene: Red Afghan rugs and matching cushions swath the floors and walls of a large, sun-filled room; on some days, people sit on the floor drinking green tea from glass mugs.

"This is what a typical Afghan living room looks like — just a big old rug with cushions all around," said Nasreen Sajady, executive director of the Afghan Cultural Society. "That's it. We're lounge-y people."

For the 1,200 Afghans who settled in Minnesota after fleeing the Taliban takeover last year, the Afghan Cultural Society doesn't just look like the home they hurriedly left behind — it's a place to heal and find community.

The Afghan Cultural Society recently unveiled its first-ever office and community space. The organization led efforts to resettle and mobilize the Afghan community in Minnesota after the Taliban returned to power. The society works with local nonprofits, state agencies and refugee resettlement workers to help Afghan evacuees start their new lives in Minnesota. Before securing its space this past summer, the group operated without an office.

The new office is located in Minneapolis' Cedar–Riverside neighborhood. It is a first stop for many of Minnesota's refugee communities and will serve as a resource center for the state's new Afghan community.

The 2,100-square-foot space is in a 121-year-old building and shares a block with Midwest Mountaineering and May Day Books, which has a long history of organizing and progressive political education. Members of the Afghan Cultural Society have leaned on the area's organizing community for guidance.

At least two of nine Afghan Cultural Society staffers are at the space every day, and the organization is hiring three more people. Some employees are recent arrivals themselves. Staff members speak a range of languages spoken by Afghan refugees: Farsi, Pashto, Dari, Uzbeki, Urdu and Turkic.

The organization's founder, Amina Baha, started the Afghan Cultural Society in 2018 to preserve Afghan culture for her children. She collected donated jewelry, art, photographs, instruments, clothing and rugs for cultural exhibits. Now, her collection has found a home on the walls of the Afghan Cultural Society.

"She was trying to change the narrative, because all everyone knows is war and deserts," Sajady said of Baha's work. "There is so much more to us."

When the Taliban took over, Baha and Sajady mobilized the Afghan Cultural Society. They joined meetings with the state to discuss the emergency resettlement of Afghan refugees. The group stressed the importance of providing refugees with culturally appropriate food, interpreters, housing assistance and mental health support.

The group acted as a liaison between resettlement agencies and families who needed additional support. By May 2022, the staff took on its own client cases by helping refugees secure housing, jobs and driver's licenses.

By July, the Afghan Cultural Society officially became a nonprofit organization and secured the office in the city's Cedar–Riverside neighborhood.

Organizers at the Afghan Cultural Society also partnered with community members to hold a march and candlelight vigil on Oct. 7. About 200 people gathered to protest a recent attack in Afghanistan targeting the Hazara ethnic group at the Kaaj educational center in Kabul.

"The Afghans have seen a lot of trauma," said Rezadad Mohammadi, a staff member. "So I wanted to create a space here for Afghans and the Hazara community to talk about it."

Sajady said they plan to host women's mental health circles in partnership with the Center for Victims of Torture so women can share their experiences in a safe space while painting or practicing yoga. The organization has already held a few tea circles and lunches for women.

"There were some folks [in Minnesota] who actually went to school with some of these women," Sajady said, gesturing to photos of the Kaaj bombing victims hanging on a wall. "It was very emotional. There was a lot of healing happening, and a lot of pain. That's the best part of this space; people can use it to heal and come together."

In addition to community events, addressing individual needs makes up much of the Afghan Cultural Society's work.

A roundtable of the state's Afghan emergency response team — made up of government agencies, nonprofits, refugee resettlement, educators and legal aid — meets weekly online to discuss the new community's needs.

In a recent meeting, Sajady brought up a single Afghan client. "They're in need of pretty much everything," Sajady said.

Arash Yousufi, Sajady's partner and a staff member at the Afghan Cultural Society, said most of the time people drop in to ask questions about filling out forms and dealing with piles of paperwork.

"A lot of time you can see in their face and in their eyes that they feel really helpless: Where do I even start?" Yousufi said. "You don't know how to make doctor's appointments, you don't know how to read this letter."

With the new space, the staff at the Afghan Cultural Society hopes to meet these needs quickly, personally and over a cup of tea.

This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota's immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for its free newsletter to receive stories in your inbox.