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Dear John,
Last night, hundreds of NIAC members, supporters, and allies from all across the country joined us for our 2021 Virtual Gala. Together, we celebrated NIAC's amazing volunteers, enjoyed music and comedy from some incredibly talented members of our community, and heard from an awe-inspiring slate of special guest speakers.
But most importantly, we came together as a community (even if digitally!) to celebrate each other and all the huge wins we've collectively secured in the last five months. And with the Muslim ban's repeal in January to the more recent jumpstarting of diplomacy with Iran, there was a LOT to cheer! And on top of that, your generosity helped us hit our $300,000 fundraising goal before the night's end!
And amidst the community-building and celebrations, we were proud to honor some of our community's powerhouse champions, changemakers, and future leaders with NIAC's annual awards. Check out some speeches from NIAC's 2021 award winners and speakers below!
A very special thanks goes to all the political champions who spoke at our Gala, including Reps. Adam Smith, Barbara Lee, Jan Schakowsky, Pramila Jayapal, and Ilhan Omar, Florida State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, Councilwomen Sepi Shyne and Yassamin Ansari, J Street President Jeremy Ben Ami, MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting, and Former Salt Lake County Councilwoman Shireen Ghorbani.
We also extend our deepest gratitude to the dedicated community leaders, allies, and activists who made special appearances at the gala, including Project South's Azadeh Shahshahani, creative educator Hoda Katebi, University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole, University of Toronto Associate Professor Neda Maghbouleh, and Director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University Persis Karim.
If you missed out on the fun last night, no worries! Check out a full recording of the Virtual Gala here or watch individual segments on our YouTube channel.
Again, thank you to everyone who showed up last night and helped us hit our fundraising goal. But last night was just the beginning.
With the Iran deal talks in Vienna hitting a pivotal moment, the NO BAN Act on its way to the Senate, and the Iranian-American community seizing public office like never before, we need your ongoing support to keep this momentum up through the end of the year. If you haven't yet, can you chip in to support our critical work in the months ahead?
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Thank you again for a wonderful evening, and we can’t wait to see you all in person next year!
Mana Mostatabi
Communications Director, NIAC
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