Spirit of Peace
When Jhina (Mahsa) Amini was killed under the controlling and brutality of the morality police in Tehran last year, a movement was erupted by a generation of young women, supported by men. Jhina died September 16, 2022. A young woman who has lost her life to a need for men (and silent women by their sides) to control women, one beautiful life lost, along so many millions in human history.
One life.
One life.
One life.
Each and everyone of them sacred.
A CALL FOR PEACE.
A DAY TO SHED LIGHT ON IRANIAN WOMEN IN IRAN IN SILENCE AND IN COMMUNITY.
As I walked away from a non-profit exactly a year ago, I simultaneously walked along many young immigrants at about a dozen rallies in honor of Jhina.
The non-profit I had joined was an attempt for me to lift up and shed light on some of the most brilliant female filmmakers and writers in Iran. My words and stance to do so, made the person in charge “uncomfortable.” I, Sima, made her uncomfortable. As I departed and resigned from my role, I wrote my feelings and point of view to the group. The only woman who had interviewed me to join this group wrote back one sentence, “sending me this email is inappropriate.” Only because she had just departed the group on the same day I too decided to leave. No one else had a comment. I left feeling so empowered for the first time in my life in Minneapolis, having called out with integrity and accuracy cultural appropriation to a group who I thought are internationally aware of cultural nuances. No one responded.
Silence. Oh, the deadly silence of America.
Needless to say, after forty three years of living in Minneapolis, I realized my inappropriateness for being myself and hence making people uncomfortable because of my voice and the heritage I come from, will always be a barrier for me being at most tables. Most tables don’t want my voice.
No problem. Time heals all wounds, I moved on. I’ve created my own table.
In a most unusual move, I created a group open to women of my heritage to study the history of the country we come from. The urge came after months of walking along Iranians, talking with young new immigrants, and seeing the pain of dislocation in many, reminding me of myself when I was a teenager and had no language or community to navigate cultural bias and political anger.
I am grateful to all the women and men who’ve taught me how to walk and speak in my own integrity and voice.
I dedicate the rest of my life’s work to the teachings of one woman, Atum Azzahir, as she teaches building community through language that is inclusive, challenging, and expansive.
CALLING ALL TO STROLL/GATHER/REFLECT.
Join me @THE SPIRIT OF PEACE SCULPTURE at The Peace Garden in Minneapolis of Saturday September 16, 2023 to contemplate in beauty the lives of young women who were lost to brutality. Join me in writing Jhina’s name on an origami paper and making a paper crane in symbolizing peace at the Spirit of Peace.
