Research & Insights
Fearless Activist Shares Her Story of Renewal & Innovation
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Don’t Miss Masih Alinejad at the 2023 Simmons Leadership Conference
Mark your calendar for March 14, 2023, when Masih Alinejad, the Iranian-born activist, journalist, and author, takes the stage at the 2023 Simmons Leadership Conference. She’ll share her extraordinary story of living in exile, challenging tradition, giving voice to voiceless women, and sparking protest in a country that seeks to silence dissent.
Brave Innovation Makes History
Masih burst onto the international scene in 2014 when she posted a photo of herself on Facebook with her shock of curls blowing in the wind — a bold act of defiance against Iran’s compulsory hijab. The post went viral and inspired her to launch My Stealthy Freedom, an innovative social media movement that invites other Iranian women to remove their hijab, photograph themselves, and send the images to Masih to post. The initiative has become the largest civil disobedience movement in Iran’s history.
She recounted her courageous career as a women’s rights activist and Iran’s bête noire in her 2018 memoir, The Wind in My Hair. In its review of the book, the New York Times called Masih, “the woman whose hair frightens Iran.”
Renewal at Great Risk
The success and reach of Masih’s campaign has prompted many to call her “Iran’s No. 1 public enemy.” In fact, U.S. officials have twice thwarted apparent assassination attempts on her. After the most recent attempt, in August 2022, Masih told the New York Times, “I came to America to be safe. First, they were trying to kidnap me. And now I see a man with a loaded gun trying to enter my house. It’s shocking.”
With the ongoing anti-government protests largely led by women and girls in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, Masih’s story of renewal and innovation takes on added significance.
Juju Chang Joins Masih for a Compelling Fireside Chat
Juju Chang, the Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News Nightline, will join Masih on stage for a fireside chat at the 2023 Simmons Leadership Conference. You don’t want to miss this riveting, topical conversation between two trailblazing human-rights activists.
“Masih Alinejad is a fearless champion for women’s rights. She built her career as a reporter uncovering powerful truths and writing passionately in support of human rights in a country where doing so meant risking one’s freedom and safety.” – Sheryl Sandburg, founder of LeanIn.Org and former COO of Meta Platforms
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