This exhibit was inspired by the book, “My City was a Sparkling Jewel” and features stories from 30 young people ages sixteen to twenty-one in written and oral format. The work was produced in collaboration between Edison and South High Schools (Minneapolis) and LEAP High School (St. Paul,) Green Card Voices, funders and many community partners.

The Grand’s mission is to enrich community life through arts and cultural education and experiences and in that spirit, Friday a panel was featured including two of the young authors Adina and Marwa along with Green Card Voices program manager Julie Vang. Adina and Marwa ask the paper to not use their full names out of fear of retaliation.

Green Card Voices is a nonprofit organization founded in 2013 that utilizes storytelling to share personal narratives of America’s immigrants, establishing a better understanding between immigrants and their communities.

Julie Vang who is herself a Hmong immigrant knows first-hand what it is like to have to flee a war-torn country and come to a place where she didn’t know the language and culture.

Green Card Voices Program Manager Julie Vang, showing the beautiful Afghan hand crafted garment.

“These young girls are very courageous to share their stories,” said Ms. Vang, “through this work of storytelling and public speaking engagements, they have become empowered to share their own experiences.” One of the biggest benefits Adina mentioned “is it has given me the confidence to speak in front of many people that she didn’t know.”

Adina hopes to go to college and study medicine so she can go back and help in her country at some point when it is safe to do so. Currently the Taliban controlled government does not allow girls and women to go to school.

Marwa shared that “my teachers were very helpful and encouraged me to keep writing. I have written many poems that I hope to have published one day.” Like Adina, Marwa hopes to go to college and become a writer, yet she mentioned, “it’s very expensive to go to college,” and because of her temporary immigrant status she is not eligible for scholarships or grants.

The exhibition and event serve as a platform to explore the journeys of the 30 storytellers who come from various ethnic groups: Pastun, Hazara, Pashai and Tajik. Using trauma-informed approach to storytelling, Green Card Voices and it’s Afghan partners carefully collected the stories of these youth who share the challenges faced, opportunities grasped, and dreams these youth had, and still have, for themselves and for the families and friends they left behind.

The exhibition runs June 6-July 4 and features QR Codes so viewers can listen to stories in the author’s native tongues.

Green Card Voices Program Manager Julie Vang sharing background on the Afghan project and history of their nonprofit.

Beautiful beadwork on a traditional Afghan outfit. It was a gift from Adina's mother who brought it back from Afghanistan last year.