Community Conversation
with Farooq Mitha
NEHA DEWAN
Neha has long been active in both local and national politics. Most recently, she founded and served as the National Director for South Asians for Biden, an organization dedicated to engaging, educating, and mobilizing the South Asian community to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. In 2016, Neha served as the National Co-Chair for South Asians for Hillary and was appointed by Hillary Clinton to the National AAPI Leadership Council.
Previously, in 2015, Neha was appointed as a guest of honor by the Consulate General of India in New York City where she was selected to speak about gender equality for International Women's Day. During the 2012 presidential campaign, Neha chaired the New York Chapter of South Asians for Obama and also served on the steering committee for Lawyers for Obama in New York. For several years, Neha served as an Officer of the New York Democratic Lawyers Council, an organization affiliated with the National Lawyers Council of the Democratic National Committee and comprised of Democratic lawyers and voting rights activists. Similarly, for many years, Neha served as an advisory board member of New Leaders Council, a national organization focused on training and supporting progressive political entrepreneurs. She has also been active in her local community board and political clubs. Neha served as the President of the South Asian Bar Association of New York in 2012, and now sits on the organization’s Board of Directors.
Mobilizing the South Asian Community & Building Political Power
HELP AFGHAN REFUGEES
Volunteer to Help Resettled Refugees
Volunteer to help resettled refugees: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is asking for volunteers to help refugees upon arrival with airport pickups, meal assistance, mentorship, tutoring and more. You can participate if you're in one of the areas where refugees are arriving, and there's a standby list to join for other areas too.
Make a Donation
Consider making a donation to the following groups working on the ground:
-
Women for Afghan Women, one of the largest women's groups in Afghanistan
-
International Refugee Assistance Project, which organizes law students and lawyers to help refugees and displaced persons
-
Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, which works to protect journalists on the ground
Share Links to Available Resources
-
To submit a case for help on a relative’s behalf, please email Congressman Swalwell: ca15afghancases@mail.house.gov
-
Contact Congressman Ro Khanna: https://khanna.house.gov/services/help-with-a-federal-agency
-
City of Fremont, California Afghan Refugee Help: https://fremont.gov/arhelp
-
Petition for Alien Relative: https://www.uscis.gov/i-130
-
Spojmie Nasiri, Afghan American immigration attorney: nasirilaw.com
-
PARS Equality Center Afghan Support: https://parsequalitycenter.org/what-we-do/legal-services/afghan-support/
Recording of Afghan American Townhall with Congressman Eric Swalwell