Masih Alinejad

For Masih Alinejad, hope abounds. The Iranian-American journalist, women’s rights activist and founder of My Stealthy Freedom—her viral social media campaign against compulsory hijab that became the biggest civil disobedience movement in the history of the Islamic Republic—believes change is coming to Iran. The revolution has started, she says. In fact, what’s happening now with protests from women and men across the country is the beginning of the end of gender apartheid in Iran and Afghanistan. In this moving talk, Alinejad shares her story of growing up in a small village in Iran and her journey from “troublemaker” to activist and leader of the fight for women’s rights and overcoming adversity despite always going against the tide.