Angelina Jolie joins Instagram

Courtesy+of+www.looktothestars.org

Courtesy of www.looktothestars.org

Ell Samara, Staff Reporter

Angelina Jolie joined Instagram (@angelinajolie) on August 20 with a letter she had received from a young Afghan girl. Jolie, along with posting the letter and a picture of women in burkas, posted a lengthy message detailing her feelings regarding the recent news. Being that the Taliban took control of Afghanistan once again.

The message stated, “Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely. I’ve come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those … who are fighting for their basic human rights.”

She also said in the message, “Watching for decades how Afghan refugees – some of the most capable people in the world – are treated like a burden is also sickening.” The message ended with, “I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you’ll join me.” 

The letter itself goes into detail, saying, “We was able to defend our rights freely, but when they  came, we are all afraid of them … we think our rights have been violated we can not got out.”

In one instance the letter states how the Taliban came into the young girl’s house, scaring her and her family. Afterwards the girl had to be very inconspicuous about how she came to and from school. This story sparked interest to find out more about Jolie and her activist past. 

Jolie has been fighting for human rights since 2001 with field missions around the globe. She would meet with refugees in over twenty countries. She founded the Jolie-Pitt Foundation in 2006 with Brad Pitt as well, which was dedicated to helping eradicate extreme poverty among other things. Jolie even donated 1 million dollars to Doctors Without Borders. Jolie also co-chairs the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, an organization dedicated to helping fund education for children in conflict. 

Jolie, in the last twenty years, has accomplished so much, and hopefully she will continue to accomplish even more, especially with what is happening in the world.