RAWA

I'm so far behind on the updates for this that if I wrote a short story about it, the first line would be "My life is a sham." That being said, I've decided to finish up for the sake of tidy housekeeping. Facebook friends will have been kept up to date with the simpler, crisper, but ultimately less rewarding woman of the day one-liners. For those who've been waiting, I apologize and promise to do better next year. In the meantime, March 16: Meena Keshwar Kamal.

Something I've enjoyed about this project all along is that I told myself I had to do some research, and not just spend a month with the women already inside my head. Meena Keshwar Kamal is one of my favorite encounters, and I'm shocked and ashamed I'd never heard of her before (Damn you, western-slated media/history!). She founded the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) in 1977, whose purpose was to promote equality and education for women. Wow. Sadly and unsurprisingly, Meena was assassinated at age thirty. 

 In all our talk about Afghanistan in the press, in all the time before and since we've invaded, why is no one talking about this – still active – group? Maybe because they're not super keen on our presence there.