Jessica Minhas

"Who am I? It depends on which story is more true: the story of my abuse or the story of my redemption." - @danallender #redemption

My niece, Katherine and I, along with thousands of Yazidi women and girls, were taken into captivity by ISIS in 2014. When she was separated from me in Mosul, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her. Katherine and other women were held captive by Aslam Taha Al Ubaidi, an Iraqi doctor who had joined ISIS. This terrorist, along with others, was responsible for raping and enslaving Katherine and her friends. Katherine attempted to escape more than five times, but the families in Hawija turned her back to ISIS. She kept Almas, a nine-year-old Yazidi girl, with her, and her biggest wish was to save Almas and bring her to safety. Katherine and two of her friends tried to escape and run away from their captors in 2016. Before they could reach safety, Katherine and Almas were killed by explosives, and their friend Lamya was critically wounded. Seven years later, today, Katherine and Alma's remains were exhumed.

@koimtv @anburajan @Efbaum @onetableshabbat @celilivesnyc Wow. Can’t believe it’s been two years already!

Two years ago I hosted Friendsgiving. That was such a warm night. Stay warm, my friends.

@phumzileunwomen We wish you well on your new adventure! ❤️

Profoundly moved by the words and turnout of civil society leaders at the farewell yesterday - thank you! Your intelligence, resilience and activism continue to inspire us all.

@MarianaVZ Congratulations!!

Boom!

"Refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with the same hopes and ambitions as us — except that a twist of fate has bound their lives to a global refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale." -- Khaled Hosseini

@NJFrandino Yes, visit: afghanamericans.org/?fbclid=IwAR1N… Their list also includes resources for visa and transportation processing.

To all of my dear friends who sacrificed so much in Afghanistan, I am thinking of you during this time.

Looking for ways to support people during the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan? The @afghan_american has complied a list of vetted orgs & ways to volunteer here: afghanamericans.org/?fbclid=IwAR3E…

@IshmaelBeah How wonderful! Blessings on your next chapter. ❤️

Since I left my home, #SierraLeone, my spirit has never completely rested anywhere. Today, I’m beyond excited— relieved almost, to announce that in a few days, I’ll finally be moving back “home” with the folks I’m ridiculously lucky enough to call “my tribe”. 👇🏿

Vaccination dose one ✅ I feel sooo grateful to be able to make it to vaccination. I know too many people who did not survive COVID long enough to be here with us. ❤️

Soooo interesting: greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/t…

Congratulations, President @JoeBiden and Vice President @KamalaHarris. Democracy has indeed prevailed, the voices of the people have been heard and we march forward working toward progress for our nation. #InaugurationDay

“And we shall no longer learn hatred anymore.”

@TheAmandaGorman. Wow. Wow. Wow.

Wow.

.@JoeBiden: "I give you my word, I will always level with you, I’ll defend America. Together we will write a story of hope, decency and dignity. May we meet this moment." Yes, may we #Inauguration2021

“We met the moment” - @POTUS

Ready to serve.

@ASE Terrible. The racist double standard is disgusting.

The police tried to argue for 13 yrs bc they claimed he had drugs on him, but when they went to trial the drug charges were dropped bc they didn’t have any evidence. The assault charges put him in prison for 8. Am I missing something? (p3/3)

It makes me think of a case I worked on earlier this year where a black male got 8 years (EIGHT years) for pushing a white police officer off of his chest...(p 2/3)

I’m reading through the detention hearing notes for the Shaman guy and it’s surprising, but not surprising, that these guys are only getting trespassing-type charges and not assault on a public official or police officer... (p 1/3) npr.org/sections/insur…