Year: 2018

My family immigrated to the United States when I was 5 years old, but I was raised to be a Muslim Afghan woman. I’ve always had conflicting thoughts about sex. As a child and young adult, I never heard the word “sex” uttered by relatives or friends in my community. It was considered dirty, shameful, taboo. I was told that if I had sex before marriage, I would burn in hell. […]

The New York Post recently published a story about an elementary school student who had been bullied for three years but refused to fight back because, he said, “It’s not the Jedi way.” The student’s name is Aiden Vasquez, and he’s 10 years old. In August, he was pushed against a wall by another student, causing lacerations on his cheek  and under his eyebrow, and his eye was bloodied. […]

Midterm elections are right around the corner, and I can’t help but feel nauseous. During any election, some people get stressed out, anxious and grumpy, spreading negative energy across the nation. This year, everywhere I turn, someone is talking about the importance of the Nov. 6 election and the impact it will have on the presidency. Republicans now run both chambers of Congress. […]