Our History

In the late 1990's and early 2000's, as Iranian Americans continued to integrate and assimilate further into American society, they also became increasingly active in domestic political affairs. Many Iranian Americans individually began supporting political campaigns, and a few even began running for political office, at both the national and local levels.

As these civic activities continued to mature, in November, 2006, approximately 70 Iranian Americans gathered in New York City to participate in a gathering, the purpose of which was to examine and discuss issues confronting Iranian Americans in the United States. Few of the participants knew more than a handful of the others. Nobody knew what the participants had in common other than their heritage, their interest in and commitment to civic affairs, and general bewilderment as to what would be achieved by the gathering.

The group spent a weekend discussing their experiences, thoughts and aspirations. What became increasingly clear was that the group's assessment of the Iranian American community's hopes and needs were remarkably convergent. The group believed that Iranian Americans needed to promote their image, support their advancement in public affairs, and bring their community together.

With these goals in mind, the New York group appointed a task force of approximately ten persons to work on a concrete proposal on how these goals might be achieved. The task force worked over the next few months to develop a plan in accordance with the direction set in New York. The task force's report was presented in Northern, California in April, 2007.

The task force's main recommendation was the formation of a national organization dedicated to promoting the goals of community building, image building, and influence building. The recommendation was detailed in a prospectus and presented to the participants in the Northern California gathering. The participants overwhelmingly endorsed the task force's recommendations. Thus, PAAIA was born.