Past Events

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2020

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March 2020 – ICWIN International Women’s Day

Each for Equality, All for Equity

Master of Ceremony: Dr. Abbasseh Towfigh has been with Santa Monica Podiatry Group since completing her surgical residency in 1993. She brings a unique set of skills to the practice in the areas of podiatric surgery and in the treatment of children and adolescents. She is a member of the patient safety movement foundation where the goal is to improve patient safety and help eliminate patient preventable deaths. She offers intuitive solutions when it comes to podiatric issues for our female patients. She also has a special interest in the area of “plastic” and “cosmetic” surgery having had additional training and emphasis on achieving superior cosmetic results. She has been acting as “Ayeneh” Foundation’s executive director and secretary since the inception of this educational and humanitarian nonprofit organization. She devotes much of her time to Ayeneh and its goals and objectives supporting such issues as human rights violations, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, environment justice, and the plight of children of labor and refugees among others.

Keynote Speaker: Shahla Talebi, PhD. is a social cultural anthropologist who lived in Iran through the 1979 Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). She came to the United States in 1994 where she received her B.A. from University of California, Berkeley, and her MA and PhD from Columbia University, all in sociocultural anthropology. Talebi is currently an associate professor of religious studies and anthropology of religion in the school of historical, philosophical and religious studies at Arizona State University. Talebi’s scholarship is deeply impacted by her lived experiences of these profound historical events and her activism. Her work revolves around questions of revolution, state, violence, mass incarceration, imprisonment, memory, mourning and memorialization, with a significant focus on women and gender. Her work also deals with language, metaphor, embodied performances, and commemorative rituals. Talebi is the author of awards winning book, Ghosts of Revolution: Rekindled Memories of imprisonment in Iran. Her work has also appeared in academic journals and in edited books. In addition to other topics of her research, she has been invited to speak in various academic and non-academic venues on women’s day. Presently, Talebi is completing her second book manuscript on the contested martyrdoms in post-revolutionary Iran.

ICWIN Representative: Pari Mostovoj is a community organizer and local activist who join ICWIN’s Steering Committee shortly after it was inaugurated in 2017. Pari Mostovoj migrated to the United States from Iran in 1979.  She studied in Moorpark College and CSUN (California State University Northridge). She has worked as a translator for various organizations, such as Javanan magazine and did the translation for the movie “A View from a Grain of Sand” that focused on the plight of Afghan women refugees caught up in the war in Afghanistan.She has been active in national affairs since 2004 when she worked as a volunteer in the Kerry- Edwards campaign.  In 2004 and 2008 she played a role in Ferial Masry’s campaign for the 37th Assembly district. Pari has been active in the Conejo Valley Democratic Party and in the national grass roots organization “Indivisible”.  She was a member of Ventura County Supporters of Global Exchange and helped to focus public attention on such issues as gun control.  As an active environmentalist, she promoted a key environmental legislation in Congress.  She also worked for the US Department of Agriculture for six years in conducting field surveys with farmers on various issues of interest to Congress.  Pari is proud to be a member of ICWIN’s steering committee and has been an outspoken advocate of women’s right. 

Performance: La Def Ensemble Musical Director: Arezoo koochakan Composer: Vandad Massahzadeh Arezoo koochakan was born in Tehran,Iran. She had a Successful career of 22 years playing Percussion,Daf, Damam,Dayereh, Dohol, and Naghareh. She is also a Carl Orff music instructor to Children. Arezoo Started the L.A Daf Ensemble with her Students after her immigration to the U.S. She Continues teaching Daf and Children’s music (orff) in Los Angeles.

Featured Performance: The Body Female Collective is an artistic exploration of the diverse dimensions of the female condition that unites seven women in a collaboration of dramatic arts, performance art, visual art, film, music, video art, gender studies, and social work towards inspiring greater social justice. Integrating diverse disciplines, The Body Female engages artistic media to confront how women navigate societal impediments from body image to domestic violence that challenge the female condition in its endeavor to create a viable space in which women can thrive. Conceived by Nadia Islam and Velina Hasu Houston, the collaboration includes Paula Cizmar, Velina Hasu Houston, Nadia Islam, Shelly Ren, Bita Shafipour, Diana Wyenn and Guang Yang. Directed by Wyenn and interwoven with music by Yang performed by Ren, The Body Female, supported by a grant from the LAOPERA, consists of three artistic expressions that speak to the female presence in humankind.

Curator: Konj Art Lounge Konj /könj/ : The Nook Konj was inspired by a simple dream to bring people together through art, culture and love. Our space welcomes the works of talented artists from all corners of the world. At Konj Art Lounge you will find a carefully curated collection of various arts including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, home decor and fashion. Inspired by the Middle Eastern roots of Konj’s founders, the gallery strives to promote unique art from far away regions. We invite to stop by our space to shop artistic treasures or simply to enjoy relaxing in our eclectic space with a cup of tea and a good book while being inspired by creativity. You can also attend one of our various workshops and/or events to experience hands- on learning and to connect with other art lovers. Follow us on Instagram & Facebook to stay updated on our current schedule.. @konjartlounge

In addition, a workshop is being presented to the community in Farsi earlier in the day: “Feminism and Gender Equality, Facts vs. Misconceptions.”

 August 2020 – ICWIN Women’s Equality Day

October 2020 – ICWIN/WIN’s Screening of “NASRIN” Documentary

November 2020 – Collective Action to Stop Violence Against Women

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2019

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2019 – ICWIN International Women’s Day

2019 – ICWIN Women’s Equality Day

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2018

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2018 – ICWIN International Women’s Day

2018 – ICWIN Women’s Equality Day

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2017

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IWD 2017

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2016

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International Women’s Day 2016 Celebration Report

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IWD 2015

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Syrian Journalist Yasmin Merei

asmin is a journalist, and the managing editor of a magazine focuses on Syrian Arabic women issues, concerning their social, legal, economic and political situations, depending on journalists and writers from Syria and other six Arabic countries with seven offices in Syria, Turkey and Egypt.  She said in an interview “The magazine, Sayyidat Suria, “talks about Syrian women’s issues. Before the revolution, there were no magazines for women. So we started in September 2013, and we published our first issue in January 2014.” Yes, our main office is in Turkey. We focus on first the stories of women inside Syria and also in camps and in countries around Syria. We also try to listen to the women who support the regime. As the political opposition, we are against the regime, but if you want to think in a human way, you cannot forget the women who are losing their husbands, their sons, their lovers — even if they are supporting the regime. They are losing as much as women anywhere in the world.

We are also trying to focus on the successful political experience of women all over the world. We write about them. We also have translated articles from French or English or American newspapers. “

She was in Southern California, Los Angles as she was the 2015 recipient of the prestigious Villa Aurora Grant. Villa Aurora awards up to 12 fellowships, of three months each, to artists working in film, literature, composition, visual arts and performance art.

While taking two workshops with Reporters Without Boarders in Gaziantep, Turkey after she left Syria, they submitted her name for a residency at Villa Aurora without her knowing.  She never heard of the fellowship but she was very surprised and happy that she received it. 

Two of her brothers live in Lebanon, her mother and two sisters, her brother and his family all live in As-Suwayda in the South of Syria near Jordanian Border.     Her father and two of her brothers arrested in Suwayda on 31 October 2012.  Her brother in law and her nephew also kidnapped. 

Elahe Amani then engaged in a Question and Answer with Yasmin.  Here are the questions:

Tell us about the work you do as a woman journalist in a country that made you and your family suffer a great deal. In a recent interviewwith IPS you said “started taking part in the 2011 protests due to the unjustness of Syrian law, especially as concerns women. As examples, you noted a longstanding law against Syrian women giving citizenship to their children and widespread, unpunished honor killings.  Like many Syrian women – you become responsible for providing for your immediate family, sending money to your mother and your brothers, both of whom were jailed for protesting and released only after large bribes    Your elderly father died shortly after he, too, had been imprisoned and the family forced to flee their home.  What motivates you?  What inspires you?  What are your hopes for women in your country?

As today in November 29^thand right in November 25-December 10, 2015: 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign with the theme of  “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All!” Is Education safe for all women and girls in Syria?  What are the prominent aspects of violence women experience at home and in society?  As you know, in July 2014, The Committee on the Elimination of all Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) reviewed the second periodic review report. Despite challenges and restrictions on women civil society participation, a delegation from the Syrian organizations   participated in the review and dialogued with members of the CEDAW committee ( I should mention that Iran and US has not ratified CEDAW yet) .   The report highlighted grave violations on women’s rights.  The failure of the Syrian Government to amend discriminative laws, as well as the authorities’ ongoing tolerance for discriminative attitudes and practices has contributed to the deterioration of the status of women.  In what ways the current conflict exasperated and intensified violence against women in Syria?

Finally yet importantly, what are the narratives that you hear as a feminist journalist that we, living in US are not hearing about it?  Who are the unsung heroines of Syrian conflict?  What we as citizens of US can do to help with the situation of Syrian Refugees?  How we can support the voice of forward looking Syrian women?

Los Angeles Review of Books

Writer in Exile: An Interview with Yasmin Merei 

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/writer-in-exile-an-interview-with-yasmin-merei

Women National Committee

The 13 years old actress Rowan Blanchard who talked about her work on gender equality was one of the highlights of the conference. She said, “Earlier this year I worked with Team HeForShe through social media and it will please you to know that there has been an overwhelming positive response from children and former children of all ages. My favorite response thus far has been from a twelve-year-old Pakistani girl who said she became interested in women’s issues because her mother followed her dream of becoming an engineer even though it was considered a male-occupation. Her mother, a woman in a restrictive society who stood tall in the face of limiting odds to achieve a difficult goal, is a role model for me. We are privileged to live in a country that does not place these restrictions upon us. We must not drift away from taking advantage of achieving whatever goal we set our hearts on.  You can read the rest of here powerful speech here.

The keynote speaker of the event was Dr. Suja Lowenthal.  Her speech was one of the most inspiring moments of the conference. She came to US from India and said, “This conference is a reminder of our shared story… No matter what corner of the world we come from, we have a shared story. Our challenges, struggles and ultimately successes have a common thread that stitches together our journey to this very conference today.
“She then continued by encouraging all of us to “imagine the future. “

She said “There is something magical about mobility. It is the great equalizer. I come from the poorest parts of this universe. And, even there, someone in the remotest village has a right to dream her dreams and have opportunities to realize these dreams. That is what mobility does. It makes a poor village girl’s chances of fulfilling her hopes and aspirations possible. Whether it be the 16-year old who got on a train to study nursing half way across her native country, or the 7-year old girl on her dad’s bike imagining a world she cannot quite see, it is a hope like nothing else can provide. 8 Only with mobility, whether by train, bike or bus, when we dream the impossible it can be possible. A few years ago at the TED conference right here in Long Beach I was inspired by so many thought leaders and world changers. One particular speaker said the following – The miracle of your mind is that you can see the world as it isn’t. We can imagine the future. We can remember the past. We can imagine what it is like to be some other person in some other place. We can change the world if we defy the impossible. I have never believed this more than I do today… “You can read the rest of this powerful inspiring talk here.

To read the inspiring keynote speech from Dr. Suja Lowenthal,

To read the transcript from the amazing speech given by 13 year old actress Rowan Blanchard about her work on gender equality, click here.

To read the introduction of Rowan and the work of #TeamHeForShe on social media,