Human rights defender helps resettle 11 women athletes from Afghanistan to Knoxville

A champion for human rights from Afghanistan now calls Knoxville her home. Her mission is to welcome and resettle 11 women athletes from Afghanistan to Knoxville. She said their lives have been at a standstill since the Taliban took over.

Samira Asghari is a human rights defender, as well as the first and only female appointer Afghan member of the International Olympic Committee. She is also an athlete. She served as captain of the Afghanistan women's national basketball team.

Her fellow teammates sought refuge when the Taliban took power, and she jumped to help them.

"They are athletes, and in the end, they are my teammates. We are not giving up," she said.

Asghari united and gathered the names of athletes who needed help

That list of names became known as "Samira's list" and holds the names and stories of female athletes in search of justice, equality and the game of basketball;

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/women-athletes-move-from-afghanistan-to-knoxville/51-5e4c48e4-103a-4ce8-b7a9-517702886dad

Home of the legendary Pat Summitt. How fitting! Good news from Tennessee for a change!