KU Law News
KU Law News
Oct. 13, 2009
A strange bird in a strange land
Law student, Army veteran gives Afghan-made Jayhawk rug to law school
U.S. Army Capt. Lawrence Indyk with the Afghan woman who wove the Jayhawk rug he recently donated to the law school.
U.S. Army Capt. Lawrence Indyk, center, with his wife, Brenda, left, and son, Samuel, present an Afghan-made rug to Dean Gail Agrawal.
The Afghan Women’s Handicraft and Commercial Association is part of the broader Afghan Women's Business Federaion, which promotes the welfare and rights of women workers in Afghanistan.LAWRENCE – It may look like your average Jayhawk fan gear, but woven into the crimson- and blue-tinged rug at the University of Kansas School of Law is a story of economic development and diplomacy in war-torn Afghanistan.
Lawrence Indyk, a third-year KU law student and a captain in the U.S. Army, found himself stationed last year at Bagram Air Field, near Kabul. Each Friday, local merchants held a bazaar, setting up small market stalls just inside the base’s main gate. With U.S. soldiers as their customers, the locals sold electronics, clothing, souvenirs and mementos.
Indyk always noticed one particular stall occupied by a woman peddling handmade rugs. He learned that she was a member of the Afghan Women’s Handicraft and Commercial Association, a program supported by the United States in its effort to enhance relations, develop the Afghan economy and elevate the conditions and status of women in Afghan society.
He inquired and discovered that the woman welcomed commissions. The process was simple. Indyk brought in a picture of the design he wanted her to recreate, selected the size, put down a small deposit and returned a few weeks later to pick up the custom, hand-woven rug.
Indyk recently presented his selection – a full-color Jayhawk on a field of black, flanked by the words “Kansas School of Law” – to Dean Gail Agrawal and the law school.
“I wanted to get something special,” Indyk said. “In addition to accomplishing the goals of enhancing U.S.-Afghan relations and improving conditions for women, I figured it was a great opportunity to bring back personalized gifts from abroad that were distinguishable from mere knick-knacks that could have been made in China or Pakistan.”
The wool rug measures roughly 18 inches square and remains on the same wooden frame on which it was woven. It will be framed and displayed prominently in Green Hall.
Indyk also purchased several rugs for friends and family members.
The Afghan Women’s Handicraft and Commercial Association is part of the broader Afghan Women’s Business Federation, which promotes the welfare and rights of women workers in Afghanistan. The federation was established in 2005 with aid from the United States to create a consortium of women’s business associations engaged in economic development. The federation aims to fully integrate women into the market economy.
Indyk, of Fairway, Kan., joined the Army shortly after 9/11 and went through officer training at Fort Benning, Ga., before being commissioned as a lieutenant. He met his wife, Brenda, during a six-month chemical officer course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. She deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division just prior to Lawrence’s deployment with the Third Stryker Brigade. They married during mutual combat leave in September of 2004, and Lawrence received a Purple Heart in May.
He started graduate school as a dual degree candidate in law and economics in the summer of 2006, but after his last final in December of 2007 was recalled to active duty in Afghanistan. He returned in March and picked up his law classes over the summer. Brenda, too, is pursuing a joint degree, in law and social work, at KU. The Indyks have two children, Samuel, 3, and Audrey, 1.
“Success in our mission in Afghanistan depends on much more than just combat or counter-terrorism operations,” Lawrence said. “Economic development, as difficult and lengthy a process as it may be, is essential. When you improve people's lives, they are genuinely grateful and will join your cause. I am convinced that a critical aspect of this improvement will come from unlocking the as-yet untapped economic potential of the nation's female population.
"Even small commercial purchases, like this rug, by providing opportunities to achieve greater prosperity, help this process along, and they augment relationships that are key to our work today and our influence in the future.”