I am the President of the Board of Advisors of Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB), a non-profit that works to develop community leaders with high school and college students.  This month, IAAB's Campus Action Network (I-CAN) is launching the first ever Iran Awareness Month: No Hate.

Participants from 20 university campuses nationwide will participate in this month long event.  Participants in Iran Awareness Month: No Hate will take action in any of the following ways:

Student groups and representatives host on-campus events that raise awareness of Iranian culture and promote anti-hate message such as:

• Panel, speaker, or townhall meeting
• Film screenings, art exhibits, and tablings
• Cross-cultural and interfaith dialogues
• Cultural activities such as poetry readings, hokm nights, and backgammon tournaments.

In response to the a recent wave of hate crimes, IAAB's Campus Action Network expands Iran Awareness Month to also include a message of not hate against all communities.  I-CAN's Iran Awareness Month: No Hate will include actions honoring both Trayvon Martin and Shaima Al Awadi, two victims of recent hate crimes, as well as a coordinated action condemning the unwarranted surveillance of New York's Muslim student associations by the NYPD.

As part of the campaign, I took the photograph above for IAAB.