PCC’s Board Meetings
Persian Cultural Center’s board of directors holds its meetings every second Wednesday of the month. The last two meetings took place on March 8 and April 12, 2023.
Iranian School of San Diego’s 35th Nowruz
Celebration – March 12, 2023
In preparation for Nowruz, Iranian School of San Diego held a “sabzeh kari” and egg coloring event on Sunday, March 5, 2023, at the school. The Nowruz celebration was held at the Del Norte High School Performing Art Center on Sunday, March 12, 2023. Students performed several dances, a play, and several songs and pieces of music for over 400 parents and students. During the program, awards for Person of the Year, honors students, and winners of the “Reading Olympics” were presented.
Chaharshanbehsoori – March 14, 2023
All preparations for this event were done by PCC, however, due to an impending storm, the event was canceled.
Persian Cultural Center Annual Nowruz
Celebration – March 18, 2023
Due to the situation of the past several months in Iran, PCC decided to host the celebration humbly and more intimately at the Iranian American Center. Nevertheless, this was a great event. Live Iranian traditional music was performed by Amir Aghaei and Sina Gharavi. PCC’s Persian Dance Academy performed several beautiful dances. PCC was honored to have San Diego City Councilperson Raul Campillo among the guests, who congratulated the Iranian American community for upholding and celebrating its culture and then presented a check to PCC as a grant for promoting cross-cultural activities.
Nowruz at the Poway Library – March 19, 2023
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the Poway Library, in cooperation with PCC, celebrated Nowruz with live music and Iranian dances for a diverse audience. The program started with welcoming remarks by Ms. Mazhari of the County Library system, followed by several colorful dances performed by PCC Dance Academy members, led by Ms. Ila Darafshandar and music by Mr. Amir Aghaei.
Clara Breed Civil Liberties Lecture Featuring
Shereen Marisol Meraji – March 23, 2023
The Central City Library, in collaboration with PCC, hosted a lecture by award-winning journalist, educator, and UC Berkeley professor Shereen Marisol Meraji at the Sheily Special Events suite of the Central Library. This was the second annual Clara Breed Civil Liberties Lecture, named after heroic former San Diego Public Library director Clara E. Breed. Meraji is a founder and co-creator of Code Switch, NPR’s critically acclaimed and high-charting podcast covering race, culture, and identity.
Over one hundred people attended the lecture. Before the start of the program, Romteen Azmoodeh of ISSD played two pieces on setar. Professor Meraji, who was raised in an Iranian-Puerto Rican-American family, spoke about immigration, identity, and cultural interaction in society. The main lecture was followed by a question and answer segment monitored by Neda Iranpour of CBS8.
Nowruz at the Escondido Library – March 25, 2023
In collaboration with the Escondido Library, PCC held a Nowruz celebration on the afternoon of Saturday, March 25, at the library. The program started with an audio-visual presentation on Iran and Nowruz, followed by dances from the PCC Dance Academy. Several pieces of music and songs were performed by Mr. Amir Aghaei. The event concluded with refreshments, including authentic Iranian food, pastries, and tea. There were around 180 attendees, both Iranian and non-Iranian. The feedback from the audience was very positive and everyone enjoyed the program.
Sizdahbedar – Sunday, April 2, 2023
Again this year, PCC, in collaboration with AIAP and the House of Iran, was able to celebrate Sizdahbedar at NTC Park in the Point Loma area of San Diego. It was estimated that over three thousand people gathered there to celebrate the finale of the Nowruz season and connect with nature by picnicking around the vast grass area of the park on a beautiful spring day. Music was provided by DJ Julius, DJ Mohsen, and friends. Several businesses set up booths. Food was provided by Balboa International Market.
During the program, City of San Diego Councilperson Kent Lee presented a proclamation prepared by the City of San Diego to the representatives of PCC, AIAP, and HOI recognizing March 20 as Nowruz Day in the City of San Diego.
A Poet and a Poem – April 19, 2023
In a virtual event, the biography and poems of “Abu Sa’id AbulKheyr” were presented by the Poetry & Literature Group. Poems were recited by young students of ISSD and by other attendees.
Movie and Discussion Series – April 27, 2023
The selected movie for January was The Whale (2022), a film directed by Darren Aronofsky. Sheldon Deckelbaum reviewed the film and answered questions. The program host and moderator was Mahmoud Reza Pirouzian.
The monthly Movie and Discussion session was not held in March due to a conflict with Nowruz and Persian New Year events.
San Diego Asian Film Festival – Spring Showcase
The 12th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival was held from April 20 to 27, 2023, by Pacific Art Movement. Leila’s Brothers, directed by Saeed Roustaee, was screened. Find more information about the festival and its films at sdaff.org/2023.
Youth Committee
On March 3, the Youth Committee members prepared goodie bags for ISSD’s Nowruz celebration. The group also attended the celebration on Sunday, March 12, and helped with the setup and backstage during the performances. The group members are coordinating a city clean up, with a location to be determined, which will be held on Earth Day on Saturday, April 22, 2023. They are also looking into fundraising events with collaborations at restaurants. Please check the PCC website and social media accounts for future events and announcements.
