Fauziya Kassindja was born in 1977 in Kpalimé, Togo, Africa, and now resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

Layli Miller Bashir, a graduate of American University Washington College of Law, is now an attorney practicing in Washington, D.C. She is also the founder of the Tahirih Justice Center, which assists women facing international human rights abuses. She lives in Virginia with her husband.