Heading East to Reach the West: Mitra Jordan on Not Letting Circumstances Define You; Women's Resilience Through Iran's Revolutions; Following Your Own Path; and the Courage to Act Counterintuitively
About this episode
Mitra Jordan reflects on her mother's legacy and the importance of resilience and education in the face of adversity.
Originally published in 2021, I'm replaying this remarkable interview in solidarity with the courageous women of Iran and to offer you historical context for the protests unfolding today. Retired preschool teacher Mitra Jordan reflects on the life and legacy of her mother, Sattareh Farman Farmaian - widely regarded as the mother of social work in Iran and author of Daughter of Persia (highly recommended). Sattareh was raised in a royal harem as one of 36 children born to the ruling prince of the Qajar dynasty. She earned a degree in sociology from the University of Southern California, worked for the United Nations in Iraq, and then returned to Iran to found the country's first school of social work. Under her leadership, the school flourished, training hundreds of social workers and launching programs in family planning, women's education, and orphan care, with strong support from Farah Diba, wife of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In 1979, the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini forced Sattareh, at age 58, to abandon her life's work and flee Iran. She rebuilt her career in the United States, passing her exams and becoming a practicing social worker in Los Angeles. Mitra…
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