Celebrating awe-inspiring Iranian Americans continues in the new year!

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 Appétit, 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!

👨‍🍳 Andy Baraghani 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 is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of file hosting service Dropbox

🗳️ David Emami 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 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 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 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 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 is a sociologist, professor, and author of The Limits of Whiteness: Iranian Americans and the Everyday Politics of Race

♀️ Sherry Hakimi 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 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 to see and learn more about these inspiring individuals.

Warmest,

Mana Mostatabi
Communications Director, NIAC


SUPPORT Our Work

NIAC Action is dedicated to building political power for the Iranian-American community to advance peace & diplomacy, secure equitable immigration policies, and protect the civil rights of all Americans. NIAC, the 501(c)(3) sister organization of NIAC Action, is dedicated to educating & engaging the Iranian-American community in order to further advance these priorities.

Our mailing address is PO Box 65439, Washington, DC 20035

This email was sent to [email protected].

Please note, if you forward or distribute, links will open with your information filled in.

We'd hate to see less of you, but if you want fewer emails or need to unsubscribe, you can do that here.