U.S. Census data estimates that there are an estimated 1 million Iranian-Americans living in the U.S. Many Iranians in the US fled the oppressive theocracy in Iran, hoping to live in freedom as a Persian-American. In Iranian-American society, they’ve found professional and financial prosperity and have benefitted from the American system that enabled their success, while still maintaining a love of their homeland and the Persian culture. Being an Iranian in the US is rewarding, and this passion for Iranian-American culture and society serves as motivation for many Iranian community organizations.
The Organization of Iranian-American Communities-US was originally established in 1997. In 2012, Iranian-American interest groups from 40 states joined forces to collaborate and work toward a vision of bringing peaceful, democratic change to Iran. OIAC is now the largest organization of Iranian-Americans in the US and serves as a powerful Iranian-American advocacy group. We recognize that a peaceful, free Iran requires an alternate government rather than the religious fascism which now engulfs Iran today. We work towards that goal by supporting the efforts of Iranians in Iran to reform their government and by showcasing Persian-American culture here in the United States.
History of Freedom
As recently as 1953, Iranians enjoyed the beginnings of a democratic framework with more equality for women and national sovereignty. The country enjoyed a democratically elected parliament at the time. However, by 1979, the Iranian people rejected a dictatorship in an inspired revolution. Unfortunately, the current clerical directors of Iran hijacked that freedom movement to freedom.
The Persian people have a rich history of embracing and struggling for democracy. As exiles, the members of the Iranian community in the U.S. have made activism and freedom for Iran a central focus of our lives in America. As a Persian-America, Iranian community organization, we work to improve the conditions in both America and Iran. We energetically lend our energy, our voices, and our resources to our brothers and sisters in Iran in the effort to establish a democracy in Iran where its citizens enjoy equality, suffrage, human rights, and religious freedom.
Join us today in our quest for a free and democratic Iran.