October 7, 2026 marks twenty-five years since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan. August 15 marked five years since the Taliban returned to power following the U.S. withdrawal. For Afghan women and girls, those dates are not simply markers of history. Their consequences are lived every day—in the fight for education, safety, public voice, freedom of movement, and basic human rights under Taliban rule.

In partnership with the Rule of Law Institute at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Art Works Projects presents an exhibit, film excerpt, and discussion event titled The Sharp Edge of Peace: Global Struggle and Local Action for Women’s Rights in Afghanistan.

LUNCH WILL BE SERVED

This event features the Art Works Projects exhibit Women Between Peace and War: Afghanistan, as well as recent drawings by Afghan students from a rural province.

The afternoon begins with an excerpt from The Sharp Edge of Peace, a film by Roya Sadat that documents four women peace negotiators during the fragile and dangerous transition that preceded the Taliban’s 2021 return to power. (12:10 - 12:25 PM)

A series of discussions will follow, featuring Afghan women’s rights leaders and advocates working alongside Afghan refugees:

Women, Peace, and Security in Contemporary Afghanistan (12:25 - 1:10 PM)
Moderator: Juliet Sorensen, Director, Rule of Law Institute, School of Law, Loyola University

Panelists: L. Belquis Ahmadi, Human Rights Lawyer; Naheed Sarabi, Development Specialist

Advocating for Asylum Seekers (1:15 - 2:00 PM)
Moderator: Steve Bynum, Interim Executive Director, Art Works Projects; DEIB Manager, Chicago Public Media; former Senior Producer, Worldview with Jerome McDonnell

Panelists: Geoff Cebula, senior attorney, National Immigrant Justice Center; Samuel B. Cole, Senior Supervising Attorney and Chief Immigration Litigation Counsel, ACLU of Illinois; L. Sherizaan Minwalla, Associate Attorney, Scott D. Pollock & Associates, Immigration & Human Rights Lawyer 

Sanctuary & Sustenance in Chicago (2:10 - 3:00 PM)
Moderator: Dr. Jessica Darrow, Associate Instructional Professor, School of Social Work, University of Chicago 

Panelists: Zulikha Akrami, Advocate for Women's Rights & Refugee Communities; Beatriz Ponce de León, Deputy Mayor for Immigration, City of Chicago; Rida Rashid, LCSW, Refugee One

Additional support generously provided by…
The Gannon Center on Women and Leadership Ann F. Baum Speaker Series; and Northwestern's Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

…and the following Loyola University Chicago School of Law student organizations:
The Art Law Society; The Immigrants' Rights Coalition; and The International Law Society

This event launches “Art Works Year 20”, AWP’s year-long series of programs, events, and gatherings marking two decades of visual advocacy for human rights and social justice.

(Seating is limited)