Parisa Fitz-Henley

Great news!!! themonafoundation exceeded our #GivingTuesday goal by over 50%!! 18 young women will now be able to complete their education at the Barli Institute in Indore, India — improving the lives of an estimated 1,800 people along with them over time!! I’m so happy to see this and to know that so many people worked together to improve lives through so many organizations yesterday. Definitely something to remember when things get tough, that good things are happening too. I know I need that reminder daily. 🙏♥️🥹 Many many thanks to all who contributed financially or with good wishes and prayers for the success of this endeavor. Love to all! Video description: Close shot of me, brown skin, darker brown curly hair and dark brown eyes, red lipstick and medium gold hoop earrings. I’m wearing a blue denim button down shirt and sitting in my car. It’s daytime and cars are passing by on the road beside me.

Posted by @parisafitzhenley on Dec 1, 2022 12:44AM

Today’s the day! Some history of two orgs I appreciate so much on this #GivingTuesday — themonafoundation and tahirihjustice. Please see their pages for info on how to contribute. TW: Mention of violence. Both these orgs were inspired by women who were killed for their beliefs and actions. Tahirih was a 19th century Persian poet, renowned for her deep religious and spiritual insights and revolutionary approaches (daring to speak of theological concerns the way men did and publicly removing her veil). At 38, held captive for being a Bahá’i, she was strangled with her veil after uttering the words: “You can kill me as soon as you like, but you will never stop the emancipation of women.” In 1983 Mona Mahmudnizhad was just 17 when she was was tortured and sentenced to death by hanging in Iran for “misleading children and youth” as a teacher of Bahá’i children’s classes. Though the US formally requested clemency, Mona and nine other Bahá’i women were executed. As a Bahá’i myself, I grew up with the stories of these women (the Bahá’í Faith originated in what was known as Persia, now known as Iran). It’s been an honor to support the work done in their names by organizations who, while inspired by Bahá’i women and ideals, are run by and in support of people of all Faiths and beliefs, and who focus on making sure that women and girls are centered. Though doing it in different ways, both these organizations are breaking cycles and paving new paths with and for so many people, in the US and all around the world. Please consider getting to know these orgs today and if you’re able and feel moved to contribute, truly any amount would be appreciated. Many thanks. 🙏 Video: Close up of me, brown skin, dark brown eyes and longish curly brown hair with a few silver strands. I’m wearing red lipstick and a sky blue and white abstract pattern sweatshirt (hand-dyed with indigo and high vibes — shout-out laylidyeshard) and extra large hoop earrings. I’m leaning on a white mantle.

Posted by @parisafitzhenley on Nov 29, 2022 05:22PM

A statement by the Bahá’í International Community at the UNHRC Special Session on Iran: “Our hearts and the hearts of every unbiased observer ache as we watch the loss of innocent human life in Iran. As Iranians of every age and all walks of life call for social justice and equality, but are met with violence and repression instead of efforts to engage everyone in a genuine conversation on the future of Iran. As you know, the Baha’is in Iran are all too familiar with persecution, with suffering, arbitrary imprisonment, denial of higher education, hate propaganda, executions, and daily harassment for 43 years. In fact, what we see in Iran today is the extension of this persecution to the generality of Iranians. A government that oppresses one group will surely be unjust to all groups in the long run. The Baha’i International Community has in all this time called for international legal mechanisms to hold Iran accountable at the United Nations, bringing its human rights violations to the world’s attention. Such mechanisms are the last hope of every oppressed individual, the only way the UN can stay true to its founding principles, showing victims of persecution that they can trust the human rights system, that human rights crimes cannot be committed with impunity, that the world stands with them, and will not let them suffer while we watch. Establishing an independent fact-finding mission on Iran will now reinforce the call that Iran must abide by its human rights commitments. And it sends a message to the Iranian government that what its people want is a government that respect the rights of all: women, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, and indeed everyone as equal citizens. Thank you.” {Statement delivered by BIC Representative, Simin Fahandej} #SS35 #HumanRights #Iran #Bahai #MahsaAmini Thank you for sharing, monaiman9 ♥️ Video: A woman w/olive skin & light brown straight hair wears a deep red lip color & dark blazer & sits at a microphone. A white sign w/black letters reads “ONG” on the table in front of her. Audio and title are captioned.

Posted by @parisafitzhenley on Nov 27, 2022 06:18AM

Immigrant women, girls, and all survivors of violence deserve to live in safety and with dignity. On #GivingTuesday, I’m proud to support tahirihjustice, a national nonprofit (US) that serves immigrants fleeing gender-based violence. The Tahirih Justice Center is named after Tahirih, a revolutionary 19th-century Persian woman of the Baháʼí Faith who was executed in Persia (now known as Iran) for unveiling and speaking out about her religious/spiritual beliefs. This took place more than two centuries ago, and yet, courageous women like Tahirih are still fighting for the most basic human rights here in the United States and all around the world. By amplifying the experiences of survivors in communities, courts, and Congress, Tahirih’s mission is to create a world in which all people share equal rights and live in safety and with dignity. I hope you’ll consider supporting tahirihjustice this #GivingTuesday with a donation of any amount. Together, we can create a world that uplifts women, girls, immigrants, and all survivors of violence. Video Description: Me, brown skin with darker brown eyes and curly brown hair, shot from the chest up. I’m wearing a floral top that’s white, pale pink, light and darker blue. I have on gold hoop earrings and a gold chain. A beam of sunlight crosses the frame diagonally.

Posted by @parisafitzhenley on Nov 23, 2022 05:44PM

Hey IG fam 💛 This Giving Tuesday (Nov 29), Mona Foundation is shining a light on girls’ education and empowerment. Our goal is to raise $8,000 to empower 12 young women at the Barli Institute in Indore, India. Barli teaches literacy, vocational skills, and community development to provide rural young women with the skills to start their own business and the confidence to become leaders in the transformation of their communities. Educating a girl at Barli improves the lives of 10 people immediately and 100 others over time – which is why we say “Educate a girl. Transform a community.” Help send a girl to Barli and join me in donating to Mona or starting a Facebook or Instagram fundraiser with your friends on Tuesday, November 29th. Make a difference in the life of a young woman and help build a world where all girls thrive. themonafoundation 💛✨ #GivingTuesday Video description: Me, brown skinned with dark brown eyes and a lot of brown curly hair. I’m shown from the chest up wearing a stonewashed jacket with beige corduroy collar… wow no when I type that this sounds like it’s 1992 (when I was also wearing stonewashed stuff lol) but nope it’s now. I have on brass dangly earrings but they are mostly covered by hair. XO

Posted by @parisafitzhenley on Nov 22, 2022 05:56PM

Up today thinking of #Iran, the voices silenced, the innocent lives taken or set for execution for calling for freedom. Then I see the news of #ColoradoSprings, innocent lives taken in a place people had gathered for joy, for being who they are. Terror continues to ascend. 💔 These are not isolated things. Around the world there are countless examples of hatred & violence, between nations & parties, in communities, in households, & even inside our own selves. This quotation came to mind, as it often does when my heart is aching over our addiction to tearing each other apart. It seems sometimes that it’s just inherently human to be horrible & destructive, selfish & hateful. But if it is, then it’s just as inherently human to heal & be healed, to love beyond reason, to evolve, to transcend. This is a choice. A choice we have to make on a day to day, moment by moment, breath by breath basis. Every moment we pause to consider whether there is a different, more loving way to approach a person, an idea, we shift the atmosphere in & around us. The more of us that do it, the more we change what it means to be human from an accident of ancestry to an autonomous being, immensely capable of carrying forward “an ever-advancing civilization.” Even as so many of us grieve the lives lost & in danger today, so many shower them with love from every direction, & find new energy to stand & demand wellbeing for all. May our grieving be soothed, may we be strengthened in our evolution, may the souls taken from this world rest in peace. Amen. #WomanLifeFreedom #MahsaAmini Image: White background with black lettering. Publication info in turquoise. “And the breeding-ground of all these tragedies is prejudice: prejudice of race and nation, of religion, of political opinion; and the root cause of prejudice is blind imitation of the past — imitation in religion, in racial attitudes, in national bias, in politics. So long as this aping of the past persisteth, just so long will the foundations of the social order be blown to the four winds, just so long will humanity be continually exposed to direst peril.” – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 246.

Posted by @parisafitzhenley on Nov 20, 2022 05:24PM