PCC’s Board Meetings
Persian Cultural Center’s board of directors holds its meetings every second Wednesday of the month at the Iranian American Center (IAC). The last two meetings took place on March 12 and April 9, 2025.
Iranian School of San Diego’s 37th Nowruz Celebration – March 9, 2025
In preparation for Nowruz, the Iranian School of San Diego held a “sabzeh kari” and egg coloring event on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the school. The Nowruz celebration was held at the Lewis Middle School auditorium on Sunday, March 9, 2025. Students performed several dances, a play, music, and songs for over 500 family members, friends, and staff. During the program, awards for Person of the Year, honors students, and winners of the “Reading Olympics” were presented. As a tradition for the past 36 years, the ISSD Nowruz program is dedicated to a person or a group of people who have played a significant role in promoting the Persian language and Iranian culture. The 37th Nowruz event was presented to Ms. Soroor Ashkpour, another dedicated ISSD teacher.
Persian Cultural Center’s Annual Nowruz Celebration – March 15, 2025
This year, PCC celebrated Nowruz at the La Jolla Marriott. At this great event, music was performed by the Black Cats and DJ Julius. PCC’s Persian Dance Academy performed several beautiful dances. The Emcee for the program was Neda Iranpour, the CBS (Channel 8) anchor. PCC was honored to have guests San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo; San Diego County Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Nora Vargas’ assistant, Fernando Chavarria; the former County’s Chief Administrative Officer, Sarah Aghassi; and San Diego Chief of Police, David Nisleit. The County of San Diego recognized March 20 as Nowruz Day in a proclamation presented to PCC.
Chaharshanbehsoori – March 18, 2025
PCC, in collaboration with AIAP and the House of Iran, was again able to celebrate Chaharshanbehsoori at NTC Park in Point Loma with music, dance, and plenty of food. This year, several thousand people attended the park for celebration and enjoyed music performed by DJ Mohsen, DJ Roham, Omid, and DJ Shahin. A nice addition was Farnam, who joined the DJs onstage and performed several songs. Several businesses set up booths. Food was provided by Balboa International Market.
Concert of The Wonders We Carry Inside – Thursday, March 20
On the evening of Thursday, March 20, attendees at the Jacobs Music Center (Symphony Hall) in San Diego witnessed the exceptional performance of Giti Razaz, composer and orchestra conductor; Niloufar Shiri, kamancheh player and composer; Sahba Aminikia, composer; Enbal Segev, cellist; and the musicians from the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. This program was held at the invitation of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and in collaboration with Persian Cultural Center in celebration of Nowruz, and it received prolonged applause from the audience. In the lobby, a beautiful haft-seen table was displayed by Anahita Babaei, and attendees were treated to Persian sweets.
Nowruz Celebration at the Poway Library – March 22, 2025
In collaboration with PCC, the Poway Library celebrated Nowruz on March 22. This program started with a performance by Bita Jahanbin, one of the students of the Iranian School of San Diego. Then the guests enjoyed live music by Sina Gharavi and Mahmood Shamshiri. Several beautiful dances were also performed by Atoosa Emami and Kimia Jalaly of the Persian Dance Academy of ISSD. At the end, the audience took pictures with the haft-seen table, which was prepared by Mercedeh Hashemi. At the end of the program, a Certificate of Recognition from the office of County Supervisor Joel Anderson was presented to the performers.
Celebration of Sizdahbedar – March 30, 2025
This year’s Sizdahbedar was celebrated on Sunday, March 30, at NTC Park in San Diego. Thousands of Iranians and friends of Iranians gathered at the invitation of the Persian Cultural Center, the Association of Iranian American Professionals, and the House of Iran to hold this festive event as a picnic in the beautiful park. They then danced and celebrated to the music of DJ Julius, DJ Mohsen, and friends. Many booths from commercial and non-profit organizations were also set up around the park.
City of San Diego Library Branches Celebrating Nowruz – March 2025
For the entire month of March, PCC set up haft-seen and Iranian artifacts at the following City Library branches: Carmel Valley, College-Rolando, La Jolla-Riford, Linda Vista, North University Community, Rancho Penasquitos, Pacific Beach-Taylor, and Rancho Bernardo.
A Poet and a Poem – April 16, 2025
The twenty-ninth session of “A Poet and a Poem” took place on April 16. This virtual session featured the biography and poems of Soozani Samarghandi, presented by the Poetry and Literature Group of San Diego. In addition, some of his poems were recited by ISSD students. Other poems were also recited by the attendees of the event.
Film & Discussion Series – April 27, 2025
The film and discussion program for April was dedicated to the film The Sheeple, directed by Holman Seyyedi, produced in 2018. This film was screened at the Iranian American Center and was reviewed in the second part of the program. The program moderator was Mahmoud Reza Pirouzian.
PCC Youth Committee Report – March/April 2024
The PCC Youth Committee successfully organized a toy drive to distribute gifts to children during the Nowruz holiday season. Thanks to the generous support of community members and local partners, the committee collected over 200 new toys.
Additionally, the Youth Committee played a crucial and visible role in the PCC Nowruz Celebration held on March 15, 2025. Committee members assisted with event setup and teardown, stage management, ushering guests, and handling various logistical tasks.
The committee also supported the Iranian School of San Diego’s Nowruz Celebration by helping with student performances, seating arrangements, brochure distribution, and managing refreshments. Several members showcased their talents and cultural pride through dances, skits, and recitations. This event further strengthened the connection between ISSD and the PCC Youth Committee, fostering greater student involvement in future youth-led activities.
