In May of 2019, during AP exam week, we received news from the office that one of my students had been deported. No, he didn’t commit a crime. He wasn’t at the wrong place at the wrong time either. My life was shaken to the core by this incident because, in a flash of a moment, my students’ lives were shaken by the reality that their friend was no longer with us. It felt like we were mourning the death of a loved one. It was abrupt, it was humiliating, it was unfair. I remember sitting on the steps of our school consoling his high school sweetheart. I consoled her in silence because nothing I said was going to be enough.

The Big Payback started out a little slow for Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors until Hamid Durani sent a late night text pledging to match the next $5000 donated.

Nearly 600 Afghan evacuees have arrived in Nashville since late 2021. Bethany Jackson, legal director at TNJFON, shares what her conversations with these families are like as they begin the process of applying for asylum. These are stories of heartbreak, fear and uncertainty for the future, but they are also testaments of strength and resilience.

Learn about being a hospitality host for one of our legal clinics.

Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors recently hired Negar Ahmadi as a legal clerk to help with our Afghan clinics.