International Liberation Reference Person for South, Central, and West Asian-Heritage People
My name is Azi Khalili. I was born and raised in Iran. I am the International Liberation Reference Person for South, Central, and West Asian-Heritage People.
We want liberation and unification for all people. We know that what is getting in the way of that is distress. It’s the biggest problem facing humanity. And we know what to do with distress. We have the tools.
We also know that it will take about three million people to create the critical mass that will turn us toward the liberation and the unification of all people. So part of my job in this next period is to go after* a portion of those three million people. They are from South, Central, and West Asia. You’ve heard about some of their countries: Syria, Iraq, Iran, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Chechnya. Do they sound familiar? Yes. They are the nations that the United States is at war with right now—that’s why they sound so familiar.
My people from this part of the world are good, human, and loving; they have emotions; they want good lives for themselves and for their children—just like you. During the recent period there has been a huge movement to make people forget that my people are human. There has been a huge movement to dehumanize and demonize folks from this part of the world.
Part of my job, of course, is to put RC in the hands of more and more of us from this part of the world, to bring us into the center of RC, to get us to lead, and to remind us and our allies about our humanity and goodness.
In terms of ally work, I’d like you to learn geography and history and discharge on the effects of racism, genocide, and colonization on everyone, including you. I want you to be our partners. I want you to work on U.S. identity. I love doing this with you. Thank you for this chance.
Brooklyn, New York, USA
* “Go after” means pursue.