Farnaz Farrokhi leads with a ‘Ripple Of Change’ with UN Civil Society on Human Rights Day

Photo Credit: Daniel Quintanilla and Jennifer Laurantius

OUR BLOOD 🩸 IS THE SAME COLOR

Human Rights Day 2024 back on December 10 was celebrated through pictures that told a story, making you question humanity. Farnaz Farrokhi, in collaboration with the United Nations Civil Society, Arts and Culture Impact Coalition and “ Our Blood is the Same Color” NPO, brought on “Ripple Of Change” at Ideal Glass Studios in lower Manhattan here in New York City. This landmark event showcases 55 powerful photographs by world-renowned photographers, as a collaboration with the UNITED NATIONS Civil Society Arts and Culture Impact Coalition, Arts For the Future Festival . These 55 images amplify critical global issues, serving as a profound call to action for freedom, equality, peace, dignity, and environmental justice.

The evening was supplemented with speakers of human rights who included Bishop Andrea E. Vassell, Mary Nyiriak Maker, and Mina Bakhshi. Plus, United Nations supporter and fashion designer, Jennifer Laurantius, was also on hand to stress the importance of Human Rights, and to illustrate how important women’s rights are.

FARNAZ FARROKHI

There’s only one visionary who can describe this Human Rights Day event best, it’s Farnaz Farrokhi. The “Ripples of Change” exhibition is an extraordinary artistic initiative that redefines the role of art as a catalyst for global transformation and advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Curated by the globally celebrated Farnaz Farrokhi, an award-winning artivist and founder of Our Blood is the Same Color (OBITSC), and co-juried by internationally renowned photojournalist Armin Abdehou, founder and editor-in-chief of The Knights of Art magazine, this landmark event showcases 55 powerful photographs by world-renowned photographers, as a collaboration with the UNITED NATIONS Civil Society Arts and Culture Impact Coalition, Arts For the Future Festival . These 55 images amplify critical global issues, serving as a profound call to action for freedom, equality, peace, dignity, and environmental justice.

Expanding beyond the visual arts, this significant initiative included film screenings that deepened its impact. The documentary Bread and Roses, directed by Sahra Mani and produced by Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, offers a poignant exploration of Afghan women’s resilience in the face of oppression. Complementing this was Zero Sum Game, a stirring short film directed by Amir Hossein Farrokhi, an award-winning filmmaker. This film captivated audiences by shedding light on how political games devastate ordinary lives, inspiring empathy and a call for justice.

Farnaz Farrokhi’s visionary Magnifier Theory and her multidisciplinary curation combine art forms, including, photography, performance, and film, to create a transcendent experience. By uniting creative expressions with a commitment to human rights and environmental advocacy, “Ripples of Change” transcends traditional exhibitions. It is a transformative movement, inspiring collective action, fostering global empathy, and promoting a shared vision of a sustainable and equitable future. This initiative exemplifies Farrokhi’s extraordinary contributions to the arts, demonstrating art’s unparalleled ability to ignite change and elevate humanity’s aspirations on a global scale.

BISHOP ANDREA E. VASSELL

Founder and CEO of The Wawa Aba Leadership Institute, Bishop Andrea E. Vassell, stressed on how treating women as second class citizens in the workplace and such cost this country more than $1 Trillion. Paying a woman 30 percent less than a man doing the same role as she does may not seem like much between $1 and 70 cents, but women making only $70,000/ year as opposed to $100,000/ year like a man is purely detrimental. Women’s daily mobility and resources are surely limited, living within those constrained means is for sure a struggle, especially when you have to take care of a family. Powerful men who are allowed to sit at the table when women are not talk about women’s issues, even as going as far as menstruation. And not one moment does a woman have a say when men talk about her own issues.

MARY NYIRIAK MAKER

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Mary Nyiriak Maker, spoke out about what goes on in refugee camps in Africa. Mary put a mark on how the refugee is stripped of their rights, forced to work in hard labor, barely fed, and be broken of their shear will. No longer is the will to fight evident, even for something as simple as fairness or human decency. Mary who had been in a refugee camp herself, speaks of how her father who was once a strong-willed figure be nowhere near a former shell of himself. Mary still cannot fathom that after spending 2 decades in a refugee camp, she we’d speaking out against it and able to escape those torturous walls where no one was heard, seen, or advocated for.

MINA BAKHSHI

Swathmore College student, Mina Bakhshi, is a huge proponent of women’s rights in Afghanistan, where Mani has fought tirelessly for women’s voices to be heard. Mani told the story of how the Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan in August 2021 which surely put an end to the War In Afghanistan. But as the Taliban took over, Afghanistan women became second class citizens. Women and girls lost their privilege to not only dress how they wanted, but couldn’t go to public places, and could no longer go to school. Mina got truly emotional about how we need to use our voice as artists to advocate that the women of Afghanistan need to be free, and not be subjected to the Taliban’s brutal agenda on all women living in Afghanistan if they choose to continue living in Afghanistan.

JENNIFER LAURANTIUS

Ethical Fashion Designer of JVLAURNT, human rights advocate, and recognized partner of the United Nations, Jennifer Laurantius, was on hand to capture the powerful imagery on display to tell the story about the ongoing fight for human rights. Having certified in Human Rights education infused a passionate and deep commitment in her to contribute to better serve the ongoing humanitarian crises. The beautiful photography captured truly serves its purpose by capturing moments of despair, fighting, displacement, and discovery.

Some images are in search of peace, other images speak their voice by delivering the gritty despair and desperation that mainly women, and refugees find themselves in. Optimistic images can go as far as an Afghan woman surrounding herself with an assuring security around knowledge, going as far as to rest her head and sleep on books that serve as a gateway to freedom. These revelations drove her to have a deeper pledge and standing in solidarity in human and particularly women’s rights.

CONCLUSION

Take a good look and these women who work closely with the United Nations, their words and images raise awareness about injustice. One word, one motion, and one interpretation about unfairness can move the population’s voice to grow louder onto our leaders who have the power to undo injustice. Us as citizens having courage is one thing, but those who sign off of how we live day to day will move mountains to pave the way for a just world. All we have to do is keep stressing the importance of how equal rights and livable conditions can do much more for humanity than creating division on each other.

A Huge Thank You To Chance Spiessbach For Passing Along This Event To DANIEL PLUS LAUREN.

Plus, Jennifer Laurantius For All Her Passion, And Hard Work On Stressing Human Rights For The United Nations.

DANIEL QUINTANILLA