Dear CCA Community,

I am writing to you today to express CCA’s support for our Iranian students, faculty, and staff, and to invite you to participate in two events hosted by CCA’s Center for Art and Public Life. 

Since the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her arrest by Iran’s Guidance Patrol, thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets in protest. Despite brutal government crackdowns during which more than 200 protestors—many of them students and even children—have been killed, the protests continue to grow both in Iran and around the world. As an international community, CCA holds the values of personal sovereignty, freedom of expression, and education closely. It is therefore especially alarming to see universities and students being targeted. It is a testament to the bravery and values of the protestors that they continue to speak out in support of women, life, and freedom despite the very real threats to their safety and lives. 

While the protests and injustices in Iran may seem distant to many of us, they are ever-present and immediate for our peers and colleagues whose loved ones are threatened and in harm’s way. Please know your CCA community stands with you and is here to support you in this time of unimaginable stress and uncertainty.

To show our support for the women of Iran, the Center for Art and Public Life (CAPL) invites CCA faculty, staff, and students to CAPL’s new space at 121 Hubbell Street on Tuesday, November 2, from 11 am to noon, for Women, Life, Freedom, a gathering in support of the women of Iran. 

CAPL also encourages you to attend The Wind in My Hair, featuring performance, poetry, and artists’ talks organized by VCS graduate student Katayoun Bahrami and presented by Clarion Alley Mural Project in collaboration with CAPL and ARTogether on Saturday, November 12, from 12–2 pm, at Clarion Alley.  

In closing, I remind those who are eligible to vote that Creative Citizens in Action has many voting resources available to help you prepare to exercise your right to vote your values in the November 8 U.S. elections.

Sincerely,

Steve Beal, President