Today’s #BeKind21 message is from Team Born This Way Foundation.
Kindness is ensuring our neighbors and community members feel welcomed and affirmed in our spaces. You have the power to do that every time you share a smile, open the door for someone else, buy the person’s coffee behind you in line, or anything else. When you intentionally welcome and affirm someone, you are validating their experiences, sharing profound love and kindness, and are helping to remind them that they are not alone; that support is available.
Sometimes–and especially lately–it feels like the world can be a hard place.If you’ve turned on the news, chances are, you’ve come across stories about what is happening in Afghanistan. We know international conflicts like this one are complicated, and as heartbreaking images flash on our television screens, it can be easy to feel helpless as human lives are victims of conflict. Although we are not naive and it can be easy to become overwhelmed, we do believe hope and change can be sparked acts of kindness. The spark might be dim, but it’s still there–and you and your welcoming spirit can help it shine.
Your kindness challenge today: A few suggestions for how you can support those affected by what is happening in Afghanistan:
- Welcome new community members from Afghanistan and support those in the country. Check out and get involved with organizations like Miry’s List which welcomes families who are resettling in the United States as refugees. Click here and here to find more organizations to support such as Women for Afghan Women, one of the largest groups supporting women in Afghanistan, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which is supporting refugees upon arrival with airport pickups, meal assistance, and more, and Homes not Borders which is specifically serving the asylum-seeking population of the D.C. area.
- Help combat Islamophobia. This 2017 Pew Research report shows that in 2015 and 2016, assaults against Muslim people reported by the FBI were actually over 30 percent higher than they were in 2001. Click here to learn how to build kinder, affirming communities with no space for Islamophobia.
- Continue to educate yourself. Educating yourself on the issues that marginalized people face is a crucial way to show kindness. With the news and the internet at our fingertips, we have access to information on all sorts of issues; but remember to check the facts using reliable sources like government websites (ending in .gov), reputable news outlets, or peer-reviewed studies as it is also easy to fall prey to misinformation.
Kindness is action. Take action to welcome and affirm others today.
In Kindness,
Team Born This Way Foundation
P.S. Invite someone to join the challenge: bornthisway.foundation/bekind21.