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For American journalist and television personality, see Hoda Kotb.

Hoda Katebi
Born (1995-01-27) January 27, 1995 (age 29)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Nationality
  • Iranian
  • American
Alma materUniversity of Chicago
Occupations
  • Writer
  • activist

Hoda Katebi (Persian: هدی کاتبی) is an American writer and activist whose work focuses on garment workers' rights, labor in fashion supply chains, Muslim identity, politics and clothing in Iran, and fighting surveillance programs and militarism. She is the founder of Blue Tin Production, the first apparel manufacturing worker co-operative in the United States entirely run by working-class women of color.[1]

Early life

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Katebi was born and raised in Oklahoma by her Iranian immigrant parents. She has discussed the challenges she faced wearing a hijab to her Oklahoma school when classmates would assault her and try to take off her scarf.[2]

In 2016, she graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.[3]

Politics and writing

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Katebi began her writing career in 2013 by publishing essays and fashion critiques on her own platform called JooJoo Azad, meaning "free bird" in Persian.[4] Katebi's early writing discussed Muslim identity, politics and fashion, garment workers, fashion in Iran, and racial politics in the United States. Katebi maintained a "Boycott List" of fashion companies engaged in human rights violations.

Katebi is the author of a photography book entitled Tehran Streetstyle (2016).[5] She has published essays in Vogue.com, Washington Post, Columbia Journalism Review and others.[6] Katebi is a contributing author to I Refuse to Condemn: Resisting racism in times of national security, published in 2020 by Manchester University Press.[7]

In October 2016, Katebi was arrested for protesting the annual Illinois Tactical Officers Association Conference and Weapons Expo.[8] She has been a vocal activist against police militarization and surveillance programs such as Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) and has conducted trainings on the War on Terror and anti-Muslim racism around the world.[9] Katebi identifies as an abolitionist.[10]

In February 2018, Katebi was interviewed on WGN about her book, Tehran Streetstyle, and fashion in Iran. When the discussion turned to the question of America's military presence in the Middle East and Iran's supposed nuclear weapons, the interviewer suggested that Katebi's criticism of American imperialism did not "sound like an American." Katebi defended herself by saying "that's because I've read."[11][12]

Global book club #BecauseWeveRead

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Since its creation after the WGN interview, Katebi's radical book club #BecauseWeveRead has launched chapters around the world that host discussion sessions and mobilize communities in various social justice efforts.[13] Katebi says the book club is working toward "doing what our institutions have systematically failed to do: educate us on reality."[14] Topics covered through the readings include anti-Blackness, Orientalism, and capitalism, among other issues. #BecauseWeveRead also has launched 'Emergency Reads' on urgent, unfolding issues such as the Sudanese revolution in January 2019 or the Indian communications blackout and military escalation on Kashmir in October 2019.[15][16] #Global book club #BecauseWeveRead chapters have organized community events, prison book drives, poetry slams, protests, and other events on topics related to readings. Katebi works with publishers to provide free ebooks of each reading, and ends each unit with a global conversation on YouTube Live with different guests. Past guests have included Naomi Klein and Arundhati Roy.[17][18]

Katebi's #BecauseWeveRead has been featured in media outlets including Dazed Magazine and Refinery29.[19][20]

Clothing co-operative and garment labor activism

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Blue Tin Production

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Katebi supports ethical fashion and advocates for the abolition of fast fashion.[21] She argues that fast fashion subjects garment workers to "systemic gender-based violence" including sexual and verbal abuse by their employers as well as dangerous working conditions in sweatshops.[22][23]

In early 2019, Katebi launched a clothing co-operative, Blue Tin Production, which is run by refugee and immigrant women and promotes ethical garment production and is the first of its kind in the United States.[22] In an interview with Vogue, Katebi stated "her overall goal is to offer designers in the U.S.—and abroad—a no-brainer alternative to sweatshops with "radical transparent production."[24]

In December 2019 Blue Tin Production published its first annual report.[25]

Katebi's activism and Blue Tin Production has garnered attention from international fashion and journalism outlets, including Vogue, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Guardian, and Medium.[26][27][28][29]

'Revolution-Washing'

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In 2017 Katebi coined the term 'Revolution Washing' which has since been used to describe the ways in which fast-fashion brands attempt to brand themselves as progressive to appeal to conscious consumers while using sweatshop labor.[30]

In August 2019 Katebi went on a delegation to Indonesia to meet with garment workers working in Nike, H&M, GAP, and other fast-fashion sweatshops.[31]

Acknowledgements and awards

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  • The Pioneer Award given by the Chicago Foundation for Women[32]
  • 20 In Their 20s by Crain's magazine[4]
  • Leaders for a New Chicago given by the Field Foundation[33]
  • 40 under 40 honored by the National Iranian-American Council[34]

References

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  1. ^ "Hoda Katebi Is Launching a Fashion Production Co-Op for Immigrant and Refugee Women in Chicago". Vogue. January 25, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  2. ^ Hoda Katebi (February 9, 2018), WGN Interview with Hoda Katebi on JooJoo Azad & Tehran Streetstyle, retrieved April 16, 2019
  3. ^ Hoda Katebi Featured in Mother Jones Magazine, February 5, 2017, retrieved November 25, 2021
  4. ^ a b "See why @hodakatebi of JooJoo Azad & @becauseweveread is one of @crainschicago #Crain20s". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  5. ^ "JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد: TEHRAN STREETSTYLE: A PROJECT OF IDENTITY AND PERSONAL NARRATIVE". JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  6. ^ "Writer, Entrepreneur, and Activist Hoda Katebi on France's Proposed Hijab Ban". Vogue. April 15, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  7. ^ "Manchester University Press – I Refuse to Condemn". Manchester University Press. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  8. ^ "JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد: 4 Things You Need to Know about Police, Militarization, and Islamophobia". JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  9. ^ "PRESS + EVENTS". JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Tank Magazine". Tank Magazine. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Schoenberg, Nara (February 21, 2018). "WGN anchor told a Muslim blogger that she didn't 'sound like an American.' Her response went viral". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  12. ^ Suryajaya, Leonard. "Fashion Blogger and Activist Hoda Katebi is Changing More Than Clothes". Chicago magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  13. ^ "Because We've Read 📖 (@becauseweveread) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  14. ^ Gil, Natalie (April 7, 2018). "This Radical Book Club Has Your Summer Reading Sorted". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  15. ^ "JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد: #BECAUSEWEVEREAD EMERGENCY READ: ON SUDAN". JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  16. ^ "JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد: BECAUSEWEVEREAD x STANDWITHKASHMIR: Emergency Read on Kashmir". JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد. September 22, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  17. ^ "JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد: #BECAUSEWEVEREAD SEPTEMBER: THE SHOCK DOCTRINE". JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  18. ^ "JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد: #BECAUSEWEVEREAD FEB/MARCH: ARUNDHATI ROY ON EMPIRE & CORPORATE POWER". JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  19. ^ Dazed (July 18, 2018). "The online book club all about real history and radical politics". Dazed. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  20. ^ Gil, Natalie (April 7, 2018). "This Radical Book Club Has Your Summer Reading Sorted". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  21. ^ "BOYCOTT LIST". JOOJOO AZAD | جوجو آزاد. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  22. ^ a b "Hoda Katebi Is Launching a Fashion Production Co-Op for Immigrant and Refugee Women in Chicago". Vogue. January 25, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  23. ^ "Fashion production co-op run by refugee, immigrant women to open in Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. February 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  24. ^ Farra, Emily (January 25, 2019). "Hoda Katebi Is Launching a Fashion Production Co-Op for Immigrant and Refugee Women in Chicago". Vogue. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  25. ^ "BLUE TIN PRODUCTION CO-OP on Instagram: "Though our social media might not have shown it (we've been too busy on the ground!) we just wrapped up our FIRST OFFICIAL YEAR OF…"". Instagram. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  26. ^ Voices, 90 Days, 90 (January 25, 2019). "US's first refugee-owned sewing group launches". 90 Days, 90 Voices. Retrieved April 16, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ Hawgood, Alex (March 7, 2018). "A Muslim Fashion Blogger With a Fierce Message". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  28. ^ Schoenberg, Nara (February 21, 2018). "WGN anchor told a Muslim blogger that she didn't 'sound like an American.' Her response went viral". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  29. ^ Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (February 14, 2018). "'You don't sound American', TV host tells Muslim blogger from Oklahoma". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  30. ^ "The BoF Podcast: Iran — A Fashion Industry Operating in the Underground". The Business of Fashion. January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  31. ^ "HODA KATEBI | هدی کاتبی on Instagram: "HI THIS IS WHERE YOUR NIKES (and underarmour, and GAP, and Levis, & others...) are made. This sweatshop. The one with the barbed wire fence…"". Instagram. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  32. ^ "2019 Impact Awards – Hoda Katebi". Chicago Foundation for Women. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  33. ^ "2020 Leaders For A New Chicago Awardees". The Field Foundation of Illinois. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  34. ^ "40 Under 40". NIAC. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
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