Pars Equality Center 2022 Year In Review

Pars Equality Center (Pars) made extraordinary advances in 2022 to fulfill its mission to serve the legal and social services needs of Persian-speaking and other underrepresented immigrant communities in Northern and Southern California.  Our 2022 achievements highlighted below would not have been possible without the tremendous efforts and steadfast support from our partners, funders, donors, and the dedication of our staff.

Legal Services and Education & Outreach Events:

• Pars conducted over 3000 legal consultations and filed close to 1200 immigration cases
• The legal team conducted monthly in-person and remote citizenship clinics and assisted 661 individuals file their citizenship application
• Pars opened a new office in Fremont, California to better serve the needs of Afghan new arrivals and hired two Afghan newcomers to provide culturally competent services including creation of KYR materials in Dari and Pashto to inform the community
• Staff and volunteers at our monthly Temporary Protective Status (TPS) clinics in the Fremont center assisted 127 Afghan newcomers submit their TPS application
• Pars centers in Los Angeles, San Jose, and Fremont held 78 community events with 2059 registered participants and tens of thousands of unregistered online viewers
• Pars held several in-person and virtual workshops at libraries and community centers in Los Angeles and Santa Clara Counties. DACA, Naturalization/Citizenship, Family Petitions, and Green Card Renewals were among topics discussed by Pars legal representatives - in English, Farsi/Dari, and Spanish
• Pars legal team conducted Asylum clinics with partners including Iranian American Bar Association (IABA) and American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
• Pars attorneys took part in government advisory committees including City of San Jose's Equity Task Force (ETF) to ensure the voice of Persian-speaking community is heard by policymakers and the public at large
• Pars continued to advocate for the rights and freedoms of Iranian-Americans by filing impact litigation and engaging in advocacy with partner organizations

Social Services:

• Pars Los Angeles distributed $58,000 in financial assistance to low-income households whose incomes were affected by the pandemic and to those not eligible for governmental benefits to prevent homelessness
• As an official partner of the State-sponsored Rent Relief Program, Pars assisted 268 community members with rent relief applications
• During FY 2022 Tax Season, as an official partner of the IRS VITA Program, Pars Los Angeles assisted 263 and Pars San Jose assisted 184 community members with filling their taxes
• Pars assisted 106 individuals obtain Cal Fresh benefits and assisted 264 individuals in applying for Medical, Medicare, and Covered California
• PARS distributed $20,000 in food vouchers to low-income households whose incomes were affected by the pandemic

Employment Services:

• Pars assisted 212 job seekers with their resume and job search strategies
• Pars secured jobs for 46 refugees and new arrivals
• Pars consulted 48 students as part of its Education Counseling Services
• Pars assisted 269 unemployed applicants with their EDD applications
• Three series Job Search Training Program was help at Pars Los Angeles to support and assist immigrant professionals. 58 job seekers registered and participated in our free program and more than 20 mentors participated as well
• Pars partnered with World Education services (WES) to offer free credential evaluations to Afghan refugees. About 27 Afghan newcomers have used this service

Vocational Classes in 2022:

• 358 students enrolled and graduated from Pars ESL Classes
• 184 students enrolled in our Citizenship Classes
• Pars partnered with the Senior Planet licensing program and offered the Senior Planet's world-class Technology curriculum to the Iranian Community in Los Angeles. In 2022, 102 students have graduated from the classes
• An array of classes including aerobics, poetry, yoga & medication, and mobile technology was offered at Pars San Jose, serving 326 new clients and 5234 repeat patrons in 2022

Scholarships:

• Pars Youth Grant /The American Dream: Pars received 25 applications from low-income students graduating from high schools in California with specific plans to continue their education in a California college or university.  After extensive review by the Scholarship Grant Committee, 6 qualified applicants were awarded the Pars Youth Grant scholarship totaling $42,000 toward their tuition. This is the eighth year of the Pars Youth Grant initiative, which has been made possible by the generous contribution of the Kordestani Foundation    
• The Goodarzi Scholarship Grant:  For the third consecutive year, Pars has been instrumental in assisting the Goodarzi Foundation provides financial assistance to students of Iranian descent who, within the last seven years, have migrated to the United States.  Six students were selected among 21 applicants.  On August 31, 2022, scholarship checks totaling $40,000 were awarded during an online ceremony  

Woman, Life, Freedom:

• Pars worked with Representative Katie Porter in a bipartisan push to call on Meta-the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp-to protect the free speech of Iranian protestors. To read more, please click HERE
• In collaboration with Pars, the Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution to stand in solidarity women ­led the human rights movement in Iran and commends them for their bravery and courage in demanding their rights and freedom and condemning the Islamic Republic of Iran for the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini. To watch the video, please click HERE
• Pars and partner organizations urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to take action and stand with the people of Iran. To read more, please click HERE
• City of San Jose & Pars Joint Press Release: Solidarity with the Iranian Women. To read more, please click HERE
• On September 30th, following a petition submitted by Pars to Los Angeles Councilmember Nithya Raman, the LA City Hall and the 6th Street Bridge lit up in the colors green, white, and red of the Iran flag to show solidarity with Iranians fighting for women's rights. To mark this occasion, in an evet organized by community activists, Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Paul Koretz, Assemblymember Laura Friedman, and the former Chair of Women's Studies at California State University Northridge made speeches condemning the violence in Iran and supporting the Iranian uprising for human rights. To watch the video, please click HERE