KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A champion for human rights from Afghanistan is now in Knoxville. Her mission is to welcome and resettle 11 women athletes from Afghanistan to Knoxville. She said their lives have been at a standstill since the Taliban took over.
Samira Asghari is a human rights defender, as well as the first and only female appointer Afghan member of the International Olympic Committee. She is also an athlete. She served as captain of the Afghanistan women's national basketball team.
Her fellow teammates sought refuge when the Taliban took power, and she jumped to help them.
"They are athletes, and in the end, they are my teammates. We are not giving up," she said.
Asghari united and gathered the names of athletes who needed help
That list of names became known as "Samira's list" and holds the names and stories of female athletes in search of justice, equality and the game of basketball
"Afghan women have been facing dramatic injustice, violence and inequality," Asghari said.
She said the athletes were in Albania seeking refuge, but their time there is soon up. Through the resettlement help of Mara Gubuan, the founder of Equality League, the athletes will arrive at Knoxville in spring.
Life in Knoxville means opportunity for them and their families, for generations to come.
"What these young women are going to do in Knoxville, and the U.S., is to enrich and improve themselves," she said. "To be more successful women in the future, to have a better generation."
Asghari now calls on East Tennesseans to embrace their volunteer name and welcome the group.
"They're fighters, not just in the in the court, but also off the court," she said. "So I believe that if you support them, they will serve the community as they have done in Afghanistan, in the country. And they will not let you all down, Knoxvillians.
Asghari said that out of all the places these women could land, she is honored they will be in a city that embraces female sports and continues the legacy of Pat Summit.