I can’t define activism for you. It could be speaking out against a regime or being beaten at a protest against white supremacy. Activism could be emailing, calling, texting and talking to family about an upcoming election. Activism could be finding jobs or services for the homeless.
Recently, my colleague, friend, and United for Iran Executive Director Firuzeh Mahmoudi gave a talk at the World Domination Summit. No, it’s not a secret gathering of global power brokers, but a forum for creative thinkers to share ideas and inspiration.
Firuzeh shared her story of creating United for Iran and coming to understand that activism is personal, joyful, sometimes heartbreaking, and different for everyone.
At United for Iran, we like to believe that each of us – not just the team in our office, but our colleagues around the world, our families, each of you, and the people of Iran – are bound together by a belief that it is so fundamental that is sometimes hard to put into words:
What the people of Iran – and everywhere – want most is the ability to live their lives to its fullest potential, be happy, and give that same opportunity to their children.
Our work to improve civil liberties and human rights in Iran is simple. It’s about people having a chance to live free of oppression. Each of you and all of us at United for Iran continue to give pieces of our lives – knowledge, dedication, time, and sometimes liberty; and that’s activism. Whatever our reasons, together we work for a better, more fair and hopeful world.
Here’s one measure of how our activism is helping Iranians and others around the world: In recent months, United for Iran’s IranCubator apps have helped tens of thousands of women who didn’t have access to proper health or legal information, parents who didn’t know how to better protect their children against sexual abuse, people at risk of domestic violence, and those who simply want to share their voice.
You can watch Firuzeh’s full talk here.
Firuzeh closed her talk with a quote from a woman who inspires her work, Lilla Watson, an indigenous Australian artist, activist and academic:
If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound up in mine then let us work together.
Thank you for your courage in seeing that our liberation is bound together.