Shahrokh Ahkami-Persian Heritage, #53, Spring 2009
With the arrival of Noerouz the Persian New Year I wish all of the devoted readers of Persian Heritage magazine, the monthly and internet viewers a happy and healthy new year. I also wish for those, whose love for their country have led them to follow its traditions and customs, regardless of where they now reside, that their hopes and dreams of peaceful coexistence.
The New Year and the bloom of spring flowers coincide with the 14th anniversary of Persian Heritage magazine. We have faced many obstacles, financial and work load, yet we have managed to keep the blood of this magazine flowing. This in turn keeps the Persian culture and its thousands of years of richness in wisdom, beauty and history alive in our children and host countries. We hope that we can continue on this journey for many more years despite many difficulties.
Many years have passed since I immigrated, with my wife, to the United States from our homeland, Iran. During that time we have been blessed with wonderful opportunities and achievements for ourselves and our children. We have also witnessed the birth of our grandchildren and watch as their roots become anchored in their homeland. These events have given us great joy, pleasure and fulfillment. Our love, however, for our birth country and our commitment to our fellow countrymen never diminished. In fact it grows stronger with each year. These days we find ourselves working harder than ever to show the true face of Iran, its beauty, traditions and customs to our future generations and host country.
Last year brought many changes and controversies to the world. The tsunami in the financial markets has been a catalyst for disaster in worldwide households. Like a deadly virus, it has stricken people and destroyed lives. The closing of financial institutions has resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs, causing people to lose their homes, leaving them homeless. When this will end remains an unknown.
Besides the changes in the financial sector, there has been a tremendous change in the political spectrum, with the presidential election of Barack Hussein Obama. This was in a sense a revolution for its citizens. Though an African American, a minority, second generation American he was never discouraged in his pursuit to succeed to become the first African-American president of the United States. This outcome has given other ethnicities the courage to pursue their dreams.
The past election and the presidency of Barack Hussein Obama has stirred emotion in mothers and fathers of Iranian descent. During a social gathering following the election I was chatting with a group of friends. The conversations and discussions revolved around the election. Both supporters and opponents of President Obama were arguing about different aspects of this election. One mother stood up, with eyes filled with tears and cheeks reddened with emotion in a quivering voice she stated, “since the election of President Obama there is new hope! I am inspired and believe that now second and third generation Iranians have a chance to succeed in the political, financial and social arenas of the United States!” She acknowledged that there is no better time than the present for parents to encourage their children to pursue their dreams, because they can come true. She continued by saying that she hopes to see the day when an Iranian American will enter the steps of the White House. If she had made these statements a year earlier chances are she would have been ridiculed by this same group of company. But, on that evening no one dared to challenge her, for regardless of what side of the political spectrum one was on, we all knew that what she was saying could one day become a reality.
Our youth, because of sacrifices made by their parents, have received the best educations. Many have already succeeded in science, finance, social and cultural arenas. There are also young Iranians who have pursued political campaigns in several states in the US, but have yet to hold a political seat. Their loss may be attributed to their reluctance to acknowledge their Iranian heritage. For instance, two Iranians running, for political seats, with the opportunity to secure tremendous financial support from the Iranian-American community, lost that support because of their avoiding to answer the question on how they would deal with issues concerning Iran and Iranians. As a result supporters became discouraged and withdrew support.
I hope that our youth begins to follow in Barack’s footsteps and show no hesitation in acknowledging their identity and ethnicity. They must do this in order to pursue political seats that will equate to a political voice and allow them to defend the rights of all Iranians. This behavior will set a trend for other ethnic politicians to defend the rights of their people and give them a voice. This would be a great lesson. Our youth must understand that they can concurrently defend the autonomy of America and still protect their ethnicity.
This mother’s cry is admirable and beautiful. Perhaps it is time for all of us to break the walls around us and enter the broader spectrum of society. We must all begin to participate in the social and political spheres. It is our duty as Iranians to become politically active and participate, without hesitation, financially, physically or in any way possible. It is time to shed our selfish behaviors and self centeredness and concentrate on actions that will result in the betterment of society as a whole. Many Iranians made very large contributions to the presidential candidates. Wouldn’t it have been great if we had lobbied these candidates to support Iranians, by placing them in important positions, where they could make a difference for the struggling Iranian image? Other ethnicities have succeeded in representation in Washington, why not us?
I hope this New Year will inspire all of us to become more active in social and political issues. There will come a day, of this I am certain, when the dream of the young, to become the president of the United States, regardless of race, creed or color will become the norm rather than the novelty. Only the struggle of the youth today will yield this dream.
Again on behalf of myself and the employees of Persian Heritage, we wish you all, wherever you may be, a wonderful, prosperous and healthy new year, filled with peace and joy.
In closing I thank all our devoted readers and ask that they continue to lend us a helping hand. The preservation of Persian culture and being a voice for Iranians has always been our goal. Often the path has been difficult. Its existence depends on your generosity. It is hard to believe that this endeavor, the dream of one couple, began fourteen years ago. The financial burden has taken a toll on our personal lives and loss of subscriptions and advertisers has added to this financial burden. Regardless, we will try to continue to make the sacrifices needed to sustain this effort as long as possible. This financial burden can be eased with the continued and future support of the Iranian community.
Thank you all for not leaving us alone.
Happy New year