I used to be ashamed of being Kurdish and would tell people I am Iranian when asked. I would keep Kurdish out of the conversation as much as possible.

Growing up, during my teens, I had felt I was less than my non Kurdish-Iranian peers. I thought being a Kurd meant I was dumb, not classy, and ultimately unworthy. I felt I should only tell people I am Iranian and leave the “Kurdish” behind.

I was ashamed of being Kurdish because in parts of Iran, Kurds are judged. I had experienced that when I was 8 years old and it stuck with me. When I moved to the U.S. I thought it’s the same here.

It wasn’t until my dad came to the U.S. and taught me how to be proud of my origins. He constantly played Kurdish music around the house, bought me Kurdish outfits, and watched Kurdish channels on the TV. He shared stories about how he’s traveled through the different regions and met Kurds of different dialects. We would meet some of his friends and I didn’t understand what they were saying and my dad could speak to them. I was amazed at how many dialects he could speak. He would tell me that we (Kurds) may be separated by land, however we’re very united (even through the different dialects) and we have such a beautiful culture. The more I learned about our culture the more I have fallen in love with being Kurdish Iranian American.

I wonder if any of you have felt this way with your culture growing up? 

- Bayan Ghahremani