#WOMANLIFEFREEDOM

The current uprisings in Iran are part of a lineage of women's resistance movements that spanned over the last 43 years. The struggle against mandatory veiling and other domestic policies perpetuating gendered violence has come to a new boiling point with the murder of 22-years old Mahsa Amini on September 16th. For the past weeks the Iranian population is facing excessive crackdowns on their right to protest resulting in extreme acts of violence by the authorities and violations of their civil liberties. Women, highschoolers, and schoolgirls are at the forefront of recent anti-government protests which have deep roots in the revolution of 1979.  The condemnable attempts by governmental officials to quash the movement has not deterred the determination nor silenced the rage carried intergenerationally. Due the power of social media, awareness of the horrific realities faced by the Iranian population spread like wildfire across the globe, bringing together the diaspora and allies to amplify the voices of women and girls. Millions have been reached using the hashtags # Mahsa Amini and #WomenLifeFreedom. Thousands of people have protested in North American cities and Western Countries. As an Iranian woman, I was touched by the number of people who took part in the Toronto march, which allowed for empathy, care, and diasporic networks for trans-communal aid.