Risalat Khan

I was born in the throes of a democratic revolution.
My parents survived a war to have me.
My country survived 200 years of colonization and then a genocide to achieve freedom.
And my parents made sure I learned the tools to use that freedom.
Within a year of my birth, 100,000 people perished in a cyclone.
Near annual floods and cyclones have taken countless lives since.
My city, Dhaka, changed before my eyes, swelling with climate refugees.
And I realized -- the only path to collective liberation is through collective action.
Everything I do is in the pursuit of that.
Because I want everyone to be able to live fully.
Not captured by the whims of the few, but held by the generosity of the many.