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Black students befriend Iranian immigrant
By Bob Dyer
Beacon Journal columnist
Published on Thursday, Nov 20, 2008
Much has been written — justifiably so — about the impact of Barack Obama's election on African-Americans. Not so much has been written about its impact on Americans born elsewhere.
Wadsworth resident A.J. Mirabedini sat in front of his television set on election night and was surprised to feel what he was feeling.
''It was the first time since I came over — 30 years ago — that I actually felt as though I belonged here,'' he says. ''I didn't realize that until [Obama] got in.''
Mirabedini is white, which puts him in the mainstream (for now). He doesn't have a foreign accent. Ditto. But he is from Iran. And, in case you haven't been paying attention for the last quarter-century, Iran has been less popular among mainstream Americans than ringworm.
A mere eight months after he arrived in March 1979, Mirabedini watched in horror as Iranian radicals overran the U.S. embassy in Tehran. For the next 444 days, as 52 U.S. diplomats were held hostage, TV screens across America were flooded with images of armed Iranians looming over blindfolded U.S. hostages, burning American flags and spewing anti-American invective.
In this country, the backlash grew so intense that the late Cleveland sportscaster Gib Shanley was not fired for burning an Iranian flag on the air.
The night of Shanley's stunt, Mirabedini was in his freshman dorm at the College of Wooster, watching with a large group of students. When Shanley torched Iran's colors, the room erupted in cheers.
Even at an institution that prides itself on having a world view, patriotism was running amok. Before the hostage crisis, Mirabedini was just another freshman struggling to fit in. Immediately after, he was a pariah.
When he would walk into a dorm room, others would walk out. When he would sit down in the dining hall, his table would empty. One night his door was set on fire.
The night Shanley burned the flag, drunken fraternity members kicked in his door and began poking him with baseball bats, warning him not to abuse any American flags.
Those clowns apparently took no notice of the huge American flag that wrapped around three walls of his room. He had helped his roommate hang that flag, a cherished relic that flew from a U.S. battleship during World War I.
The hatred grew so intense that Mirabedini was summoned to the dean's office to meet with law-enforcement officials, who laid out a personal evacuation plan in case it became necessary.
So Mirabedini certainly can relate to Americans who are members of a minority, who have to battle constantly to overcome preconceived notions.
He once looked forward to becoming part of the ''melting pot'' he had read so much about. ''I quickly found out that this melting thing was going to take a lot longer than I thought,'' he says with a laugh.
Ironically, Mirabedini's upbringing was so Western that he was a bit of an outcast in his own land. From fifth through 12th grade, he went to an international Presbyterian college-prep school attended mainly by the children of diplomatic delegates from around the world.
The school had a complete American curriculum — teachers, staff, textbooks, food,
homecomings, proms, bake sales, battles of the band and smoking in the boys room.
The kid played football, for goodness sake. Not soccer. American football. The 43 players on his high school team hailed from 28 nations. They weren't very good, but they were so unusual that they once were featured on 60 Minutes.
Mirabedini was not a fan of the Shah of Iran, whom the United States helped keep in power despite his constant power-grabs and suppression of dissent. But Mirabedini was even less of a fan of the religious zealots who rioted during his senior year and instantly changed his life.
On the day of the revolt, he and his classmates were hustled onto buses and driven home through streets of fire. The school soon was disbanded.
He had become a marked man — a boy, actually — and was advised to leave the country. His mother and father, both college professors, gave him $35,000 and a forged passport. With cash stuffed all over his body and throughout his luggage, he flew to Paris, where he stayed with friends of his parents.
Wooster was among the American universities that routinely recruited in Iran. Mirabedini wound up there mainly because ''its football team stunk'' — he figured he could play right away — and a recruiting brochure ''that had a really cute girl on the cover.''
Life was relatively decent — until the hostage crisis. Overnight, everything changed.
Eventually, things started to improve. After days of eating alone, he was joined at dinner by a black student. At subsequent meals, more black kids sidled up.
''They took me in,'' he says. ''They told me, 'Now you know what we go through.' ''
Fitting in became a lifelong quest. After graduating in 1981 and going into advertising and marketing, he found that introducing himself by his real first name — Amin — brought puzzlement or scorn to the faces of prospective clients. So when he became a naturalized citizen in 1985, he changed it to ''A.J.''
To his surprise and amusement, that often enabled him to pass as Italian.
''We all want to belong,'' he notes. In fact, he believes belonging is one of the most basic human needs, not far behind food and shelter.
Even in the best of circumstances, finding a fit would have been tough, because he had family in multiple countries and no clear sense of identity. When it came to figuring out which box to check on the census form, he was stumped — much like our president-elect.
''He's me,'' says Mirabedini. ''He's a mutt.''
The fact that a ''mutt'' was elected president by a white majority is more significant in Mirabedini's eyes than the policy decisions Obama might or might not make.
''What is so compelling about Obama is a sense of representation,'' he says.
Even today, with an American wife of 25 years, three kids and a house on a hill, Mirabedini still worries about fitting in. He still tends to fudge his background.
But as of Nov. 4, he feels less inclined to do so.
''All of a sudden you see that the majority of Americans like this guy!'' he says, still somewhat taken aback. ''They are accepting of someone different.''
It took nearly three decades, but one night in front of a television set has renewed his faith in melting pots.
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
Much has been written — justifiably so — about the impact of Barack Obama's election on African-Americans. Not so much has been written about its impact on Americans born elsewhere.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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U, OH
Posted 09:39 AM, 11/20/2008
Excellent article. It's nice to read about immigrants who struggle to fit in & I hope those that are prejudiced learn from this.
Akron, OH
Posted 07:35 AM, 11/21/2008
Oh my. Times must really be tough at the ABJ, when they have to have their award winnin' traffic reporter do these human interest stories.
Nice job Dyer. No-buddy really cares, but nice job none-the-less.
