The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)
We are pleased to announce our official launch. We invite you to learn about PAAIA by visiting our website at www.paaia.org. We also urge you to join PAAIA as a member and contact us with your thoughts and questions.
What is PAAIA?
The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian, grassroots organization that seeks to represent and advance the interests of the Iranian American community with U.S. policymakers, opinion makers, the media, and the American public.
The three pillars of PAAIA's mission are community building, image building and influence building. As such, PAAIA aspires to:
- Build community networks and otherwise bring together and unite the Iranian American community.
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Celebrate the success of the Iranian American community and project an accurate and positive image that does it justice as one of the most accomplished immigrant groups in America.
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Build a highly respected and influential voice for the Iranian American community in the U.S. political process.
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Make a difference for our children, making them proud of their culture and heritage as Iranian Americans.
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Give back to America as much as it has given us.
Why Do We Need PAAIA?
As individuals, we Iranian Americans have garnered significant achievements in all aspects of American life in the past three decades. This success has been achieved not only in the face of the myriad challenges posed by socio-economic dislocation and cultural assimilation, but also despite the fact that, throughout these three decades, the relationship between Iran and the United States has been highly strained. Perhaps it is our singular focus over the last three decades to pursue our individual achievements that have left us with little time to devote to forging a community. Whatever the explanation, none of us would disagree that, despite our many individual achievements, we do not have an effective, nationally recognized community voice in the public arena in United States.
After three decades, the time has come to fill this void. There is now a critical mass of Iranian Americans who are sufficiently well-established and civic-minded to come together and give a voice to the community, and to promote greater understanding. The concerns of Iranian Americans can only be addressed effectively if we act collectively as a community. It is against this backdrop that we are launching a new public affairs organization called the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA, pronounced "pÂy " and meaning "enduring" in Persian).
What You Can Do
As a grassroots organization, we count on you to play an essential and indispensible role in determining the organization's direction. At its very core, PAAIA belongs to the Iranian American community.
We are always looking for committed local members who serve as PAAIA's representatives.
Let us know what you think about PAAIA and what issues you want PAAIA to focus on. We seek to represent your views as they pertain to matters of domestic interest or concern for Iranian Americans.
