IAAB News

Shabe-e Yalda Reunites Camp Ayandeh Campers, Counselors For a Night of Music and Celebration

On the evening of Saturday, January 2nd, friends and family celebrated the Winter solstice at the annual Shab-e Yalda party hosted by the Rad family. The Rads, of whom current IAAB staff members Rosa and Reza are Camp Ayandeh alumni, and whose older sister Fereshteh is a returning counselor, have been involved with IAAB for years.

“We throw a party for Yalda because it's an important holiday in Iranian culture and it tends to be forgotten,” Rosa Rad explained. “Our party is a way for everyone to get together and see each other, while celebrating an important Iranian holiday.”

Amongst the guests that evening, 18 were former Camp Ayandeh attendees, all of whom enjoyed a night of eating pomegranate, ash reshteh, music and dancing.

“I try to embrace my Iranian culture as much as possible,” said Autusa Pahlavan, who attended Camp Ayandeh for the first time in 2009. “I love coming to [the Rad’s] Shab-e Yalda party –I always have a great time.”

Iranian American 2010 Census Coalition Mobilizes

The 2010 United States Census (the "Census") provides the Iranian community in the United States the opportunity to stand up and be counted.

Mandated by the United States Constitution, the Census is an official count of everyone residing in the United States that occurs every 10 years and includes people of all ages, races, and ethnic groups regardless of citizenship status. The Census is used as a benchmark for businesses, professional organizations, and government officials in determining how social services are allocated, the influence of a minority community, and funding for critical community programs. According to the 2000 Census, only 338,000 individuals were classified as Iranian Americans while the actual number is believed to be at least two or three times larger.

The Iranian American 2010 Census Coalition is taking a proactive role to ensure that our community’s statistics are accurately reflected and that it has access to key services and an enhanced political voice. With that in mind, the Iranian American 2010 Census Coalition has assembled an informational and instructional pamphlet, available in both English [Census Pamplet 2010 (English PDF)] and Farsi [Census Pamplet 2010 (Farsi PDF)], to answer questions about the U.S. Census.

By uniting and mobilizing for the 2010 Census, the Iranian American community will achieve greater prominence while also gaining a better understanding of its unique needs.

IAAB Launches CampAyandeh.org - Camp Ayandeh's Sister Site

Camp Ayandeh is right around the corner and the IAAB staff is excitedly putting the finishing touches on preparation before the first day of camp this Sunday, June 28!

Camp Ayandeh 2009, which will be held June 28- July 5 at Duquette Academy in Western Massachusetts, will be the fourth installment of IAAB's leadership camp for Iranian-American youth. This week-long program strives to create a positive, inclusive environment in which each camper has the opportunity to grow and develop as they create lasting friendships among other hyphenated Iranian youth.

This year, IAAB has created a sister site, www.campayandeh.org, that will be updated regularly throughout the week to share the Camp Ayandeh experience with family and friends. Campayandeh.org will offer a blog following campers and activities, podcasts for a behind-the-scenes look at camp, daily video clips, and op-ed articles of issues discussed at Camp Ayandeh. In addition, we are happy to introduce the 2009 Camp Ayandeh staff on this site. We encourage you to take the opportunity to learn more about these young Iranian-Americans by reading the "Meet the Staff" section. Camp Ayandeh counselors serve as role models who can relate to the realities of Iranian-American teenage life and offer support and guidance as campers adjust to high school and transition into college.

We are looking forward to our fourth summer of Camp Ayandeh. See you soon!

www.campayandeh.org

Radio Zamaneh Coverage of the Fourth International Conference

Radio Zamaneh, a Holland-based Iranian online radio station, was present at the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora. Over the two-day Conference, Radio Zamaneh conducted interviews with various conference speakers and panelists such as Ross Mirkarimi, Banafsheh Akhlaghi and Rudi Bakhtiar, IAAB staff members Sepanta Mohseni and Sherry Hakimi and other conference attendees. Portions of the conference were also recorded and broadcast. For the full Radio Zamaneh broadcast, please click on play below:

For more information on Radio Zamaneh, please visit their website.

Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora Recap (4/8/09)

The Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora, which took place this past weekend on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, was a great success. Various speakers, scholars, students and members of the Iranian community congregated from diverse parts of the United States and the world, to share in the discussions most important to Iranians in the diaspora today. Some highlights of the event included:

John Tehranian's discussion of the ambivalent effects of "white" identification among Middle Eastern Americans
NIAC and PAAIA's discussions on the most effect means of political influence-building
Round table discussion featuring Ross Mirkarimi, Banafsheh Akhlaghi, Hooman Khalili, and Rudi Bakhtiar on the successes and challenges facing Iranians in the United States
Gelareh Bassiry's important confrontation with domestic violence and notions of patriarchy that escape most public discourse on the status of Iranian women living abroad
Taghi Amirani's presentation that caused bouts of laughter and tears through his discussion of the commodification of Iranian expertise and the inherent inaccessibility of Iran, even to Iranians
Fared Shafinury and Sholi's high energy and virtuosic performances on Saturday night, including a rock cover of Googoosh and legendary percussionist Pezhham Akhavass

Thank you to our community for its support of this amazing project. It was a weekend filled with great ideas, presentations and conversation. Stay posted for more media release on the conference!

For more on the International Conference, please visit Nazy Kaviani's blog on Iranian.com for photos and Saturday and Sunday conference coverage.

IAAB featured on KIRN Radio Iran, Los Angeles (3/31/09)

Sherry Hakimi, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, was interviewed by Suzi Khatami on the program "Voice of Young Iranians/Javanan" for 670AM KIRN Radio Iran, a popular Iranian radio network in Los Angeles, California. The particular topic discussed during this interview was IAAB's upcoming Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora taking place April 4-5, 2009 in Berkeley, California.

Please click play to hear the interviews:

Three Days to Register for Conference (3/31/09)

Attention everyone! There are only three days left to register for IAAB's Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora.

Hosted by the Iranian Student Alliance in America, and co-hosted by Iranian Alliances Across Borders, the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora will be held at the University of California Berkeley's Pauley Ballroom during the weekend of April 4-5, 2009. The conference aims to address both the accomplishments within the Iranian diaspora community and the issues it is currently facing. The conference is made possible by our generous sponsors, PAAIA and IABA. IAAB would also like to thank its supporters: NIAC, Persian Mirror, Kodoom Events, Pars Art, and Persian Center.

On Saturday night, made possible by the generosity of PAAIA, Fared Shafinury ft. Tehranosaurus, as well as the acclaimed Sholi, will perform their modern versions of Persian classical music in the Pauley Ballroom. After the concert, join IAAB and DJ Aykut at Cossu Restaurant, Bar and Lounge for a night of dancing.

Please direct any questions regarding the conference to conference@iranianalliances.org.

IAAB Presents the Addition of Sholi to Saturday Night Entertainment (3/30/09)

In conjuction with the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora on April 4-5, 2009, Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB) is pleased to also be hosting its Saturday Night Entertainment in the Pauley Ballroom at the University of California, Berkeley. With the performance of Fared Shafinury ft. Tehranosaurus, we have just announced the addition of the music artist Sholi to the night's events. We are incredibly excited to be hosting both of these artists as we bring our International Conference to the West Coast, and we hope you will join us!

SATURDAY NIGHT CONCERT
8-9pm: Fared Shafinury ft. Tehranosaurus
9-10pm: Sholi
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
Pauley Ballroom - UC, Berkeley

Sholi is an indie/alternative group that originated in Northern California. Members include songwriter Payam Bavafa, drummer Jonathon Bafus, and bassist Eric Ruud. In the autumn of 2008, Sholi signed to Quarterstick / Touch and Go Records. Known for elaborate musical layers and vivid lyrical imagery, Sholi's music exhibits a unique mix of Iranian and American influences. Their song Hejrat, a re-interpretation of Googoosh's title track, can be found on their myspace page: myspace.com/sholimusic

IAAB featured on 90.1FM Kansas City Community Radio (3/22/09)

Sherry Hakimi, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, was interviewed on 90.1FM Kansas City Community Radio by host Nilufar Movahedi. Ms. Hakimi's interview was featured on an hour-long English-langague Iranian magazine show called "Saba: Wind of Love." They discussed IAAB's mission and projects, specifically the 2009 International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora, and how members of the diaspora community can can contribute to IAAB's projects.

Please click play to hear the interviews:

Conference Saturday Night Entertainment (3/7/09)

Following the conference on Saturday, April 4th, IAAB is pleased to present a full night of entertainment, featuring collaborative events with several notable organizations and exciting performances by two notable up-and-coming Iranian-American musical groups, as well as a much-anticipated afterparty featuring DJ Aykut.

Saturday Night Entertainment schedule:

IAAB and PAAIA present | Sholi | Fared Shafinury & Tehranosaurus | UC Berkeley's Pauley Ballroom | www.iranianalliances.org/conference

Fared Shafinury is an Iranian-American musician living in Tehran, Iran and Austin, Texas. Born on the Gulf of Mexico, Shafinury absorbed the feel and rhythms of jazz, blues, indie rock, western classical and north Hindustani music. Although primarily self-taught in the setar, santur, and the vocal repertoire, known as the radiff, Shafinury has had the good fortune of studying under some of Iran's most prominent Masters including: Mozaffari, Zolghadr, Shaari, Soukuti, and Ostad Mohammad Reza Lotfi. Now, 26, Shafinury's music is the progeny of his talent, passion and environments producing a sound that is simultaneous singular in character and universal in appeal. His artistical talents have been critically acclaimed as "a musical mosaic and cultural fusion varying from jazz to indie rock to Hindustani music, with a splendid concordance of classical Iranian music at its core."

To read more about Fared Shafinury and Tehranosaurus, please click here.

Sholi is an indie/ alternative group that originated in Davis, CA. Concepts of memory permeate the record, both lyrically and musically, as songs grapple with perspective and perception. Their music is said to "rattle and spirit the psyche" by pitchfork.com and is describes as "a testament to the human experience as seen through the eyes of musical perfectionists" by Crawdaddy Magazine.

DJ Aykut has been in the music and entertainment business for over 16 years. Started out as a DJ at Istanbul's most popular radio station, he went on to play throughout Europe and the United States. Throughout his career, he has served as the main DJ at over thousands of parties and events. With his huge music collection, DJ Aykut's unique style blends
international beats from all around the world.

Saturday Night Concert: $20/$30 (attendee/non)
Afterparty: $10/$15/$20 (presale attendee/presale non attendee/door)
Presale package: $15/$20/$30 (presale attendee/presale non attendee/door)