Synopsis
At the beginning of 2022, I started to work with an artists who moved to the U.S in 2021 from Iran. She shared the harrowing journey she went on in order to leave the country, along with the mistreatment she experienced while there. As a result, I have become increasingly attuned to the movements taking place there because of the lack of media coverage here in the U.S. and my not becoming aware of it until she shared it with me.
That awareness, or lack thereof, lead me to question other U.S. women and men about how informed they were on the topic. Not surprisingly, most of them were unaware or knew very little.
I then began to discuss this topic with the director of Arts and Culture at the Brooklyn Public Library, who has been instrumental in bringing thousands of people at a time to the most unique cultural events at the library at Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He spoke with his board and they’ve decided to allow me to facilitate a panel discussion at the Grand Army location in March, on International Women’s day, a day that normally brings a crowd of several thousand to the library’s events.
Therefore, we are kicking off the AIB Empowering Women series in 2023 with our “Iranian Women In America: A Global Dialogue” panel. Please join us in person or virtually for a discussion about the current events taking place in Iran as people protest the government, learn about the history that lead to this situation, and understand what you can do to support our Iranian women and men friends from afar.