Samira Abnar

These days, more than anything, motherhood is what defines me. I was born in Tehran, began a life with my partner in Amsterdam, and became a mother in San Francisco. My daughter has changed the way I see everything. Through her eyes I find myself looking for innocence even in places where I once saw only darkness, and I feel a responsibility deeper than any I have known before: to her, to people, to every living thing on this planet. I used to blow every ghasedak, every dandelion, I came across. In Persian, ghasedak means "little messenger," and I liked to imagine each seed carrying a small story of hope to a stranger somewhere. I still believe that is how kindness travels. When people come to know each other's stories, it becomes so much harder to be cruel and so much easier to be kind. Joining the Dorna Foundation is my way of taking a step bolder than blowing dandelions. I have never stopped believing that the world is beautiful and that it is we, the people, who make it so. And I know of nothing better than art to carry our stories, and to nurture the empathy a kinder world is built on.