By Elaheh Farmand I came to America, 25 years ago with rose-colored glasses, a suitcase of memories, and my mother’s dreams unfolded. I came to America with little English and a lot of bitterness because our struggles as new immigrants embarrassed me. But I came to America with my mother’s hopes and from her, I learned … [Read more...] about This Freedom
immigrants
Reflections on Being American
By Elaheh Farmand American flags sprout like trees and wildflowers in backyards and gardens, over and around fences and windows. Tall and grand, they surround diners and restaurants in Pennsylvania, impossible to ignore. With strong winds, they dance almost majestically. What is the message of this flag, built on stolen land with the blood and genocide of its indigenous … [Read more...] about Reflections on Being American
We Must Fight the System, Not Each Other
ELAHEH FARMAND Once a year on our immigration anniversary, my mother and I reflect on our journey from Iran to the United States. In the past, we would celebrate the freedoms we were given in America, embrace the struggles we endured as immigrants to settle in a new home, and learn not only a new language, but also a new way of living, a new culture, a new dream. But if … [Read more...] about We Must Fight the System, Not Each Other
The Americanization of Eastern and Southern European Immigrants
ROXANNE DUNBAR-ORTIZ[Link to the image of this book’s cover: https://images.app.goo.gl/iUjAjYfsYVbuccYK7] Mahmood Mamdani locates the founding moment of the modern nation-state at 1492. “That year marked the beginning of the nation-state… born of two developments in Iberia. One was ethnic cleansing, whereby the Castilian monarchy sought to create a homogeneous national … [Read more...] about The Americanization of Eastern and Southern European Immigrants
Finding Privilege in Quarantine
by Elaheh Farmand In quarantine, my mother and grandmother recall their time in prison in Iran. They see some similarities: an uncertain future, a sense of fear, a sense that death is closer to home. In lockdown, both women feel restless. My grandmother sits by the telephone in her apartment in Tehran, alone with her god. My mother in the apartment she shares with my father … [Read more...] about Finding Privilege in Quarantine