Friday night:

(From Najla jaan)

Friday night we were to meet to discuss the agenda and make posters. The meeting was at 6:00 PM. Most of us were there to talk about the Agenda and to divide some of the responsibilities during the rally. Sohaila jaan was there but had to be home at a certain time so she waited until 7:30 for Farhad jaan and Nadia jaan and the rest of the gang to show up but could so she took some notes and prepared the agenda for the Rally which were distributed to everyone on Saturday. Around 8:00 Farhad jaan, Nadia jaan my kids and I went to purchase some cardboard for the signs.

The level of enthusiasm was running high in everyone specially my kids.

Around 9:00 PM we headed to my sister's apartment party room to get to work. Botoul jaan despite the fact that she had to be at work at 7:00 AM the next morning worked until 1:00 AM with the posters and cleaning up the room. (She bikes 24 miles to and back from work). My kids helped with making posters, coloring in, gluing, taping all the detailed work that some hate to do. Fariba jaan, Tania jaan and my kids helped with slogans and chants. Also involved were Lida jaan and Nadia jaan distributed more flyers to a wedding near by.

Everyone worked so hard to make the posters and signs. At the same time everyone had fun and enjoyed their time.( Playing pool) (well most everyone).

On Saturday we were to meet on site around noon, but this didn't happen. Still, the rally was a success. Everyone participated in shouting slogans and chanting. Baktash jaan my brother made sure everyone formed a circle and jumped or shouted the slogans.

I think for a ill prepared rally we did pretty good. Next time we will know our productive members and will count on them more. One thing that we need to start doing is talking to people, to Afghans holding forums and putting the names and faces together. Once the Afghans see a result and see the intention of A.S. is truly Afghan unity they will start supporting the cause.

Most Afghans have been promised in the past this and that and so many Afghan teams of unity, coalition, Afghaniyat, societies of this and that etc.; have been formed. Initially they were great ideas and had a great start. But they steered away from their goal or influenced by other parties. Afghans are used disappointments (and I am a living proof of it.) Afghan Solidarity need replace this disappointment with hope.

Saturday:

(From Farhad)

I greeted the elder Afghan intellectual I was just introduced to, but whose name I did not catch, in the usual Afghan embracing way. Then, I took a step back. The voice from my left continued, "he has come here to meet you". The first man's eyes were now collecting tears, which started rolling down his cheeks. I felt humble. He said "the interview was heard all the in Germany ... you spoke our hopes." He continued, "I always knew it was in the hands of our youth... that they had it in them. It is happening."

I was introduced to the collective group of ten or so elderly Afghan men in that unusually brutal cold of that San Francisco afternoon. Most, including myself shivered from the ever worsening freezing wind that pushed its way around the block through our crowd of 60-plus young and old Afghans and friends. The chanting continued in the background "No more War... in Afghanistan! We want Peace... in Afghanistan". I forgot about the cold, and my hunger, and joined the small crowd in making circles while continuing the chants. Cars joined our noise with honking their horns. We took delight in our cause - a united display of our solidarity.

The police officer that had disappeared 15 minutes after conspicuously videotaping our humble start reappeared. This time, however, he would be video taping our small but extraordinarily determined crowd until the end. Another 3-4 cruisers roamed around us, and some on foot stood near us. The officers on foot were shivering, and were surely not pleased for their call for duty for those two hours.

Some half of all protesters courageously held signs high above themselves, against the forceful winds. The signs read "Ask me why I am a refugee", "Afghans want food, not munitions", "5 million refugees, and 10 million mines...” "United Afghans for United Afghanistan", "Five million Afghans waiting to STARVE" and similar messages. Our calls were simple, yet bonded us tightly, as passersby expressed their notice of our display of courage and call for humanitarian and democratic action for Afghanistan.

An hour into our booming chanting, individual dialogue with other prominent Afghan activists from the region, and live interviews with Afghan radio networks, activists pronounced their messages for others. The agenda included five minute speeches denouncing the international community's indifference to Afghanistan's plight, call for immediate assistance for the victims of the 3-year draught, an end to foreign military interference in Afghanistan, its right to self determination and national sovereignty, and attention to obliteration of its cultural heritage. The speeches were broadcast live to Afghan radio networks listeners.

The SF protest ended at 4 PM with reading a statement of support from Afghanistan Foundation by an American born Afghan medical student from UC Berkeley. At that time, about every Afghan who had joined was still present; I announced and re-announced that the protest was over, and we needed to disperse. Simultaneously, a petition was going around for signatures. The petition, calling for actions on our 5 objectives, will be delivered to Federal officials in San Francisco, the State Department, and the United Nations.

Then, it was almost delighting to see many were not in a rush to get to their cars and escape the cold. We had traveled hundreds of miles to a foreign city to unite and to display our solidarity. Despite the obstacles -- short notice, "empty federal building", threat from the Hooligan factor, rumors of affiliation to the "CIA", not to mention other this-or-that groups, and the record low temperatures -- we succeeded. Given the strong start, I assure you that such display of unity and solidarity will reach some of our brethren in despair in Pakistan, offering them a gleam of hope.