President Dudley Thompson called the 5,354th Civic Thursday meeting to order and shared impressive Rotary historical facts worthy of repetition. Founded in 1908, our club is the third oldest in the world amongst more than 36,000 clubs, in more than 200 countries. Oakland Rotary has nearly 300 members joining together in “Service Above Self”.
Merlin Edwards shared an uplifting quote from Nelson Mandela: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
President Dudley deemed the month of September “Membership and Committee Month”. Keith Uriate, Membership Coordinator, shared three key focal points: Inviting New Members, Member Engagement and Membership Retention. Noting we are well on our way towards the goal of over 300 members, Keith reported that since July 1st, the club has inducted ten new members with five more inductees scheduled this month. He appealed to the 59 members attending today’s meeting to “each one bring one”. Fifteen people raised hands in the Chat to indicate their commitment to bring guests, and prospective new members, towards reaching or exceeding the goal over the next 10 months!
Isaac Kos-Read introduced today’s speaker, Hayward Councilmember Aisha Wahab. Aisha is the U.S. born daughter of Afghan refugees from “an earlier wave of immigration”, during the Soviet invasion of the late 1970s-80s. Isaac noted how her inspiring personal story of loss and resilience influenced her public service today such as to “uphold the 4-Way Test!”
Aisha Wahab was the first Afghan-American woman elected to public office in 2018 as a Hayward Councilmember, and in 2020, colleagues chose her to became Mayor Pro-Tempore. She is now running for State Senate, District 10.
In context of today’s crisis and refugee situation facing Afghanistan, Aisha provided a richly detailed, yet concise history of the country, which previously enjoyed a roughly 40-year period of stability, peace and diplomacy under King Mohammad Zahir Shah, who had been a guest of Pres. John F. Kennedy. Previously in 1919 under Queen Soraya, women were granted the vote and freedom of dress. The country has been rife with corruption and questionable US policy since, resulting in today’s crisis.
Many Rotarians asked questions in Chat of how best to offer humanitarian aid and support to refugees. Aisha shared the following strategies: provide safe pathways for exit, support vs re-settlement, decriminalization of refugees, stop the forced return, and cooperate with local entities for welcoming and protections.
Click here to watch Aisha Wahab video segment
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