“Who is she?”: Creating Your Own Publication & Telling History’s Untold Stories
by: Kaitlin Manion
Saba Mehrzad is a first-generation Iranian American, a rising sophomore at Harvard University and describes herself as "an impact-driven leader and a community builder in the women's advocacy space". She's also changing the way we think about history. Growing up inspired by the feminist figures throughout her education journey, Saba realized something was missing. As an Iranian American woman, she realized that Iranian women were rarely noted in history books and were not being recognized for the social impact that they were making. On a mission to find out more about these incredible women, Saba took her curiosity to The New School where she was able to research women's history and work on their historical database. That's when Saba discovered Sedigheh Dolatabadi, an Iranian feminist activist who was missing from the history books and quickly earned the role model spot in Saba's life.
Committed to telling the stories of unknown and underrepresented women in history, Saba founded iFeminist.org in 2020. She wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to learn about incredible women throughout history and give others the chance to help tell these stories.
GH: Tell us a little bit more about why you decided to start iFeminist!
Growing up, I rarely learned about feminist figures in school and never learned about Iranian women. However, in 2018, I had the opportunity to research women in history at The New School and contribute to a historical database. There, I discovered Sedigheh Dolatabadi, an Iranian feminist activist, who became my role model. I truly connected with Dolatabadi and her struggles, inspiring me to embrace my identity and stand up for what I believe in.
I realized the importance of studying women in history—specifically women that represented me as an Iranian American woman—and that this experience was incredibly rare. In 2020, I founded iFeminist.org in order to make women’s history more accessible and expose more young girls to their role models. iFeminist is an organization that highlights unknown and underrepresented women in history through articles published on our website.
Today, iFeminist has over 250 members—from 25 US states and 23 countries—that write articles about women in history, monthly. I lead 7 teams, including our Research, Operations, Web Development, Marketing, Community, Partnerships, and Podcast Teams. iFeminist has grown into a wonderful community that connects women of today through their passion for equal representation and helps shape the achievements of women of the future.
GH: Who are some women that inspired you to create iFeminist?
Saba: The first person that comes to mind is Sedigheh Dolatabadi. Dolatabadi created the first publication in Iran made by women, for women. She was an advocate against the forced wearing of the hijab and created some of the first all girls schools for young girls in Iranian villages. She faced intense backlash for her work, yet she persisted, creating positive change for women in her community. Dolatabadi was the first Iranian woman I truly studied and connected with—learning about her was a life changing experience.
Next, I would say, Rosalind Franklin. Franklin captured the famed X-ray crystallography image of DNA, “photo 51.” However, a researcher at her lab took her unpublished research and image to show James Watson and Francis Crick. Watson and Crick used Franklin’s image without her permission to publish their seminal paper identifying the structure of DNA. Learning about her story made me extremely frustrated and upset. Franklin’s work was critical to Watson and Crick’s findings, yet she was never given the credit she deserved. At iFeminist, I aim to highlight women’s accomplishments and give credit where credit is due.
Last but not least, my mom inspired me to create iFeminist. She was my first and is my ultimate role model. She always encouraged me to aim high and has always supported my endeavors, especially iFeminist.
GH: Women --especially women of color-- are often underrepresented in many aspects of the modern day workforce, how do you think platforms like iFeminist can impact Gen Z and their career paths?
Saba: I truly believe that the quote, “you can’t be what you can’t see” rings true. Feeling represented in the workforces empowers women to pursue similar career paths and encourages women to achieve. Seeing someone that represents you in a successful position is not only inspirational, but is also eye-opening—it proves that if they can do it, you can too. Platforms like iFeminist help keep history alive while also exposing Gen Z to different career paths that they may want to pursue. Though many of the women that are highlighted on iFeminist have long passed, their impact remains. There is so much to learn from women’s history—their accomplishments, mistakes, and their career—thus, we work to make the story of women known, not forgotten.
GH: Tell us more about the work iFeminist has done and how you connect with Gen Z!
Saba: I am very proud of the work that iFeminist does! We publish women’s history articles weekly, while also engaging with our community. We host workshops and webinars monthly. Recently, we held a College Admissions Panel with many iFeminist community members as panelists. We are looking forward to our next workshop regarding the intersections between art and the sciences. Our messaging platform, Geneva, is always active with book recommendations, events and opportunities, and “hyping each other up.” Also, we just wrapped the first season of our podcast, where my co host, May, and I interview inspirational young leaders. Finally, last week, we recorded the first episode of our Feminists in Focus series where we interview women in the workforce for our blog and YouTube channel.
GH: How did you get people to join the iFeminist team? What are some tips you would give to those looking to start their own publications?
Saba: When first starting iFeminist, I reached out to my network through social media and the communities that I was a part of, most notably the Kode with Klossy community. I posted about iFeminist on my Instagram, explaining the concept and how to get involved. Then, I posted about it in the Kode with Klossy messaging platform and eventually had a feature on the Kode with Klossy instagram.
For people looking to start their own publications, I would recommend, first, finding a platform to host your publication—whether that be on a website, social media, or PDFs. Next, use social media to publicize your work in order to find others that would be interested in contributing. Social media has played a big hand in iFeminist’s success. We use it to gain membership, advertise our articles, and partner with other like-minded organizations to grow our audience!
GH: What are some struggles you encountered when creating iFeminist?
Saba: Adjusting to college life while also maintaining iFeminist was a big struggle for me. Freshman year is overwhelming in itself, and then trying to grow iFeminist at the same time was difficult; however, I developed strategies to make the experience more enjoyable and manageable. During my first year, I had to learn how to seriously delegate tasks to the members of the iFeminist team, while also growing the team in the most effective way. I learned that it was not sustainable for me to conduct all of the administrative work that comes with leading an organization. Therefore, I brought on another Operations Director to the team to help lift some of the administrative burden. Additionally, I spoke with other Founders that I am inspired by and learned about their onboarding process. I implemented another round of interviews in our application process and a three-month trial period to determine whether the new team member is a good fit.
Since iFeminist is completely remote, it is sometimes difficult to facilitate the excitement that comes with our work, solely online. Therefore, we started weekly and biweekly check-ins with members of our team. In these check-ins, team members present their achievements, targets, and blockers from their past week. These meetings have been extremely encouraging and help me grow as a leader since I am able to receive and give feedback more readily.
GH: How can people join iFeminist or connect with your content?
Saba: Our applications open on October 1st where we will be accepting applications for our Research Team, Community Council, Web Development Team, and more! More information will be shared on our website at ifeminist.org and our Instagram @ifeministofficial.
Meanwhile, keep up with our Instagram @ifeministofficial and our work on our website ifeminist.org!
GH: When thinking about the subject "Be Your Own Boss", why do you think it is important for women to enter the entrepreneurial space?
Saba: It is so important that products are made for everyone, not just men. Women can provide unique perspectives to global issues and help address problems that their communities face. When creating products that millions of people use, I believe that it is incredibly important to have diverse voices at the table in order to represent their communities while decision-making.
Women have untapped potential. Forbes reports that women are more likely to harness skills that are essential for successful entrepreneurship. According to the Harvard Business Review, women score higher than men in teamwork, innovation, and problem solving. With an equal playing field, women can achieve amazing feats and help their communities along the way.
