User:Isatis.yazd/sandbox

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Alireza Ahmadian was an Iranian-Canadian social and political activist working in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was born on February 22, 1981, in Iran and died on June 28, 2019, in The Bahamas. He organized around the issues of democracy, immigration, anti-racism, and empowerment for immigrant communities. Alireza’s research and writing were published or aired by various media outlets, including BBC Persian, Global News, the Georgia Straight, and New Canadian Media.

Personal life and education

Alireza Ahmadian was born on February 22, 1981, in the city of Yazd, Iran. In 2001, he immigrated to Vancouver, BC, along with the rest of his immediate family. In Vancouver, he studied History at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and graduated in 2011. Alireza then traveled to London, UK and obtained a Master’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. While traveling to The Bahamas with his wife Fatima, Alireza passed away on June 28, 2019, due to a brain aneurism.

Activism

Alireza became interested in politics as a teen and began working to raise political awareness and promote democracy. As an adult, he continued his social and political activities during his studies in Vancouver and London, namely his involvement with the group “Silent Scream for Iran.” The group organized a series of protests at the Vancouver Art Gallery during the summer of 2008 in response to the unrest caused by the disputed 2009 Iranian election results. A series of candlelight vigils were held to support protestors in Iran who were victims of police brutality and a crackdown by the Iranian government. These vigils lasted for ten consecutive nights and attended by as many as five thousand people each night, as well as political and community leaders. During this time, Alireza also contributed analyses, articles, and interviews with news agencies such as BBC Persian, Global News and the Foreign Policy website.

Alireza worked alongside groups and organizations such as Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society (VAHMS), Farsi Dar BC campaign, Institute for Canadian Citizenship, and the UBC Alumni Association in their goals of promoting civic engagement and immigrant community empowerment.

Alireza was a central figure in Vancouver’s Persian community. He rallied the community to support the establishment of the Persian Language and Iranian Studies Program at UBC. As a member of the Creating Community committee, he played a vital role in the launch of this program.

Alireza’s dream was for all humans with diverse beliefs and interests to converse respectfully and constructively and seek peace and collaboration instead of war and destruction.

Additional work

Other examples of Alireza’s social and journalistic contributions include interviewing social, cultural, and political activists on his radio program called Review; writing monthly columns in New Canadian Media; and discussing BC’s voting system with the major political party leaders of BC, in a collaboration between Review and Hamyaari Media, during the BC referendum of 2018. Alireza founded and led the Ethniconomy Project, which performed research and policy work on the impact of immigration and ethnic communities on the economy of the host country. He also founded numerous social activities and programs pertaining to the immigrant communities, anti-discrimination, promoting peaceful debate and citizen involvement.

Recognition and awards

Upon Alireza’s passing, Premier John Horgan, the leader of BC NDP, and Andrew Wilkinson, the leader of BC Liberal Party and Official Opposition at the Legislative Assembly of BC,  and Andrew Weaver, Former Leader of the BC Green Party, issued statements commemorating his memory and contributions to the British Columbia's multicultural communities.

UBC’s Asian Studies Department also honoured Alireza by renaming the Lecture Series in Persianate and Iranian Studies to the Alireza Ahmadian Lecture Series.

References:

https://asia.ubc.ca/lecture-series/alirezaahmadianlectures2019/

https://asia.ubc.ca/in-memoriam/alireza-ahmadian/

https://newcanadianmedia.ca/ncm-loses-a-pillar-from-its-collective/

https://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/leadership_lessons_from_campaign_trail_against_trump?recruiter_id=212912

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsKu_TRZTMM

https://www.straight.com/article-233867/iranian-canadians-supporters-hold-series-candlelit-vigils-vancouver-art-gallery

https://asia.ubc.ca/opportunities/creating-community-persian-language-and-iranian-studies-at-ubc/

https://medium.com/@soushiant/alireza-ahmadian-a-caring-heart-and-restless-soul-c1da53250870