Dear John—

I hope you had a wonderful Norooz full of food, family, and sunshine. As we celebrate Spring, it's time to also celebrate our third slate of 40/40 honorees! This week's crew are as varied as they are awe-inspiring: an accomplished chef and food editor at Bon Appetit, a professor who has published a bold book on our community's complex entanglements with racism and race, an up-and-coming comedian and social media influencer, and many more!

Read on to meet our third slate of honorees. And make sure to visit our 40/40 page to learn more about these amazing folks! [[link removed]]

👨‍🍳 Andy Baraghani [[link removed]] is a senior food editor at Bon Appétit and chef who has worked in some of the top restaurants around the country, including Gary Danko, Corton, and Estela

💻 Arash Ferdowsi [[link removed]] is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of file hosting service Dropbox

🗳️ David Emami [[link removed]] is a Happy Valley City Councilmember and the first Iranian-American to ever be elected as a member of a City Council in Oregon’s history

✊ Donya Nasser [[link removed]] is an activist who works to ensure the rights of young people, women, and marginalized communities as related to reproductive and sexual health services and rights

🎭 James Karoni [[link removed]] is a comedian, actor, screenwriter, filmmaker, dancer, and choreographer who is a graduate of the Upright Citizens Brigade and The People’s Improv Theater

☕ Leyla Shams [[link removed]] is the founder of "Chai and Conversation," a platform to introduce people to the Persian language and culture in a fun way to counter the negative news about Iran

⚕️ Lily Sarafan [[link removed]] is the Executive Chair of Home Care Assistance, a company that she led from startup to industry leader and largest private provider of home care for seniors in North America

📚 Neda Maghbouleh [[link removed]] is a sociologist, professor, and author of The Limits of Whiteness: Iranian Americans and the Everyday Politics of Race

♀️ Sherry Hakimi [[link removed]] is the Executive Director of genEquality, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing gender equality, and the Commissioner for the NYC Commission on Gender Equity

🇺🇸 Shervin Aazami [[link removed]] is a public health activist and working class champion fighting for economic and racial justice who is running for Congress in CA-30

Thanks for taking the time to "meet" our third slate of 40/40 honorees— and make sure to check out our 40/40 posts on social media [[link removed]] to see and learn more about these inspiring individuals.

Warmest,

Mana Mostatabi
Communications Director, NIAC

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