I Am a Million Voices

Illustration by Anna Trevathan

Inspired by Crystal Bayat

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I am a million voices.

The voices of scared Afghan women whose dreams were shattered overnight.

The voices of trapped women that now have to stay inside their homes unless accompanied by a familial male escort or risk being beaten, raped, or killed.

I am a million voices. 

The voices of women crying in despair- their sobs rent the air as they are forced into sexual slavery and unwanted marriages, including young boys and juvenile girls.

The voices of women being ripped from the safety of their homes and their mothers’ arms to be auctioned off on the streets of Kabul to satisfy the unchecked lusts of the Taliban. 

I am a million voices.

The voices of women that have been silenced forever because the dead cannot speak, and their lifeblood drenches the streets.

The voices of women who were executed by stoning or with a bullet to the head because they violated the Taliban’s dictates regarding women’s roles – even though their version of Sharia Law was only recently reinstated after 20 years of freedom. 

I am a million voices.

The voices of women crying out for help, begging the U.S. and other NATO forces for a rescue that won’t come. 

The voices of a generation of women who have never experienced these types of restrictions or brutalities before; women who cannot understand why other countries won’t step in and save them from the extremists because contrary to what’s being said, this is NOT their culture. So why is the West “respecting” or allowing this kind of treatment then?

I am a million voices. 

The voices of rage-filled women wanting justice for what’s been done to their families and them. 

The voices of women who’d like to march down the streets to protest and fight for human rights but can’t because they don’t want to wind up on the Taliban’s hit list.

I am a million voices. 

So even if the Taliban finds and silences me, they cannot dim the sound of the collective voices denouncing their authority because it resounds deep inside the chest of every Aghan woman, and the Taliban cannot take away that part of our identity- they cannot extinguish a rebellion that they cannot hear or see.

This first appeared in The Havok Journal on September 2, 2021.

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Lori Butierriesis a full-time caregiver to two children with disabilities. She uses her life experiences and the medical knowledge she gained from serving as a Hospital Corpsman in the United States Navy to help others facing similar hardships. Lori is an author for The Havok Journal, an official columnist for AwareNow Magazine, and a contributor to The Mighty. Likewise, other news sites like MSN and Yahoo! News have also republished select articles Lori has written. Lori’s writing extends to children’s literature. Her debut picture book, GIFT FROM GOD, was self-published at the beginning of 2021 and placed as a finalist in two categories in the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Lori’s long-term goals are to use her writing to educate others about, advocate for, and dismantle negative stereotypes regarding disability, mental health, and the military/veterans community.