Sima Shakhsari stood in front of City Hall in downtown Minneapolis on Thursday addressing a crowd that had gathered carrying signs that read: “No U.S. War on Iran.” Before coming to the protest, Shakhsari had finally heard from their niece in northern Iran after a WhatsApp blockage had hampered communication for days.
“She finally texted me and said she’s OK,” Shakhsari said.
Shakhsari, who is an associate professor of gender, women and sexuality studies at the University of Minnesota, a member of Educators for Justice in Palestine, and a co-founder of No Sanctions Against Iran, was born in Tehran and came to the United States shortly after the eight-year war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s.
