Mona Ghassemi is a returning candidate for the ICC Board of Directors, having served two years as Vice President, during which they were instrumental in representing ICC to Canada’s Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference. Mona has also been key in researching and preparing many of ICC’s statements in defence of democratic human rights in Canada in the context of the ongoing genocide in Palestine.  

Currently employed in the software industry, Mona received a Master’s of Cultural Anthropology from Concordia University for ethnographic thesis work regarding gender issues within the Iranian-Canadian community. Living in Montreal since the age of two, Mona has been actively involved in the Iranian community there for many years.

Mona spent two years on the Board of Directors of QPIRG Concordia, gaining experience in consensus-based decision-making. Their experience as a peer support volunteer at the Centre for Gender Advocacy, including a one-year training period in active listening and workshops on topics such as racism and indigenous solidarity, increased their perspective and empathy. Mona has also volunteered as the Montreal host for #BecauseWeveRead, an international book club started by Iranian-American activist Hoda Katebi, which included outreach to the Iranian-Canadian community. Mona has also had several media appearances where they have taken a position against war and foreign influence in Iran.

Mona is passionate about anti-racism and anti-Islamophobia, dialogue and bridge-building within the community, and solidarity with other racialized and marginalized groups in Canada.