Originally published on Instagram, republished with permission.

Last Saturday [July 19], we gathered for an evening of music, performance, storytelling, and resistance. Local artists came together and offered their time, creativity, and presence in support of Fûad and his family.

Fûad and his family are currently facing severe financial, physical, and emotional hardship. Fûad has spent decades at the forefront of the Kurdish liberation movement. He has endured relentless surveillance, imprisonment, and torture. His family has paid the price, too: they are economically marginalized, emotionally exhausted, and physically endangered.

Just weeks ago, under the weight of it all, his young son attempted to take his own life.

Our progress so far

We are honored to share that we have raised $1,800 to date – a powerful reflection of the care, commitment, and solidarity in this community.

A special thanks goes to the Kurdish Association of Washington (KAWA), who contributed one third of this amount. We are deeply grateful to them, and to the broader Kurdish community, for showing up with such generosity and leadership.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who contributed – whether with funds, time, or energy. This is your work. This is our shared resistance.

What we’re aiming for

Our goal is to raise $3,000. This amount will make it possible to help Fûad begin again. It will allow us to support the start of a small business that creates sustainable income and restores stability to a household pushed to the brink.

We are still accepting donations through Venmo (@Golrizan), CashApp ($Golrizan), and PayPal (@Golrizan).

We ask not only for your support, but for your solidarity. Share the story. Talk about the cause. Remind people that even when institutions fail, communities rise.

Through this fundraiser, we aim to raise the resources needed for Fûad to start a small business – one that can offer a stable income and a pathway back to dignity and hope.

In collaboration with trusted community members on the ground, we are actively assessing the local economy where Fûad lives. This means taking into account his family’s needs, his skills, his health, and the realities of the environment to ensure that any opportunity we support is both viable and sustainable.

To everyone who has shown up: thank you. Whether you performed, donated, shared, or simply held space with us, you are part of something sacred.

We are deeply grateful to Parmida, The Id, Billy, Tyrrell Noir, and Justice, who shared their creativity, strength, and solidarity with us.

You are helping build a world where care is not a luxury; it’s how we’ve always fought back against systems designed to isolate and erase us.

Jin, Jiyan, Azadi

Golrizan Community Fundraising