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Youniquely art: RCC's portrait project celebrates diversity For his portrait, Mohammad Zamani chose to answer the questions he often gets when he introduces himself. [Submitted photo] Friday Jun 23, 2017 at 12:28 PM Jun 23, 2017 at 5:03 PM Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune @VickieAldous When Mohammad Zamani meets new people, he sees them pause as they take in his name. "When I introduce myself as Mohammad, it's interesting to gauge their reactions," he said. "They're not necessarily negative. But they hesitate as they process my name. They ask, 'Where are from? Are you Muslim? Where were you born?' " When Zamani was asked to take part in a portrait project highlighting diversity among Rogue Community College students and instructors, he used that familiar line of questioning as inspiration. Each portrait combines a photograph of the subject, plus words about what makes the person unique. In Zamani's case, it was his name. For others, it was their ethnicity, country of origin, religion, a health condition or other characteristic that others view as different. As a recent graphic design graduate from RCC, Zamani was not only featured in a portrait, he helped create the artwork. The words with his portrait begin, "Introducing oneself as Mohammad Zamani tends to pique the curiosity of others. So you don't have to ask if we ever meet, here are my responses to a common line of questioning." His answers include: I am from the United States. Yes, I was born here. No, I am not a Muslim. Yes, I realize it would be okay if I was. My name comes from my Iranian father. No, he is not Muslim either. Yes, I have been told I don't "look Iranian." Yes, as an American citizen I am concerned about the situation in the Middle East. Sorry, I do not have any special insight into that situation. Zamani said he wanted to inject a little humor into the portrait with his answers. Although most people seem authentically curious, Zamani said he has faced scrutiny and questioning because of his name. His Iranian father came to the United States, became a civil engineer and married an American woman. Zamani's father was Muslim while living in Iran, but is no longer a practicing Muslim. Born in Georgia, Zamani grew up in the southeastern United States during the first war in Iraq. To shield the kids, Zamani's father advised him to go by his childhood nickname Ebbi and tell everyone their last name was Italian. Scrutiny of Middle Easterners increased even more after terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001. When Zamani went to get his driver's license in Alabama, he was taken aside and questioned. During a trip, he was detained at the border between Canada and the United States. He was still going by Ebbi until anti-Muslim rhetoric in the 2016 election caused him to start using Mohammad in daily life — not just on official documents. "I'm trying to stand in solidarity with people less able to hide their identity, people who are more obviously Middle Eastern," Zamani said. Although he doesn't belong to any religion, people seek him out with questions about Islam. "I've read about it. When people ask me about Islam, I don't feel like I'm qualified to answer any in-depth questions," he said. Zamani, who lives in Ashland and attends both RCC and Southern Oregon University, recently decided to get in touch with Middle Easterners in the Rogue Valley. SOU has a contingent of Saudi Arabian students. Although Saudi Arabia and Iran are rivals, Zamani became roommates with a Saudi student. He fasted for a day to show support for his roommate, who isn't eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "I've definitely learned more about Saudi Arabia," he said. "I've learned more about Islam and its practices." Zamani said taking part in the diversity portrait project at RCC was therapeutic for him, and it seems to have had the same effect on other portrait subjects. "In the beginning, it was common for people to feel they didn't want to share their stories, or to think their stories were not worthy of being shared," he said. "They thought, 'It's no big deal. I don't want to play the victim. People won't be interested.' These stories were bottled up. It was cathartic for everyone. Once we got the stories down, it was a great way to feel connected to each other." RCC faculty member Irene Kai, who teaches art, said she approached the project with a sense of fun and enthusiasm after she was asked to take part. Kai was born in Hong Kong to American-born parents who had moved there. When they returned to the United States, Kai was 13 years old and didn't speak English. "People assume I am a fresh-off-the-boat immigrant. As I was assimilating into American culture, I endured name-calling and assumptions," said Kai, who today speaks impeccable English with a trace of an accent. When Kai travels to other parts of the world, including Asia, Africa and Europe, people there see her as American. "When I was outside the United States, people identified me as American, not Chinese. I dress and speak like an American. Even Chinese people in China identified me as an American," Kai said. "In America, no matter what state I'm in, they identify me as an immigrant. They say, 'Go back to where you came from.' When people meet me, they say, 'Where are you from?' People don't ask Caucasians, 'What country are you from?' " Because of her experiences, Kai said she tries to be a mentor for all students, but especially minorities, including LGBTQ students — who are sometimes rejected by their own families. For her portrait, Kai adopted a bold stance, with a paintbrush clenched in her teach. Wording on the portrait says, "Dare to be myself. Resist. Defy. Don't back down." Kai said, "I feel I must walk my talk and be strong." She is hopeful the diversity portrait project will encourage a broad variety of people to consider attending RCC. "Just because people look and sound different doesn't mean we are not human," Kai said. "I feel this will definitely roll out the welcome mat more." RCC student Cas Steele, who just finished a graphic design degree, worked on the portrait project and was also a subject. As a kid, she was always a bit overweight and was diagnosed with an enlarged thyroid. Years went by, and as her health worsened, Steele visited a series of doctors until she was finally diagnosed as an adult with slow-growing thyroid cancer. "My surgeon thought the cancer was encapsulated in the thyroid area and it would be easy in, easy out," Steele recalled. "Seven hours later, they said the cancer cells were all over my neck and chest." Following treatment, she has remained cancer-free for a decade. She still copes with some health issues, including food allergies. For her poster, Steele showed off her trademark smile. She penned a poem called "Smiles Are Contagious" to go with the photograph. She wrote, "This smile has helped me in both times of distress and joy. Smiles make it easier to be positive. When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer I was told that positive attitudes help the healing process." Steele said with effort and practice, people can train themselves to have a positive attitude. "I've always had a perpetual smile on my face," she said. "It's just there. My friends tease me because I sleep smiling. It takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Even when I'm down, I make sure my face is smiling. We can learn how to think positive. I've had to learn that, even with my smile. I have to push negative thoughts aside." Steele said although it took longer to complete her degree because of health issues that would crop up, she always felt welcomed and encouraged by RCC students and faculty. She hopes the diversity portrait project will help others feel just as welcome by highlighting how everyone has a unique story. "These are things we've overcome or the things we're struggling with," she said. "We gain strength from the things we've endured." — Reach staff reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous.