Between Two Worlds: America and the Middle East: the Game Changer series in North Dakota

Journalist Roxana Saberi hosted the state’s first Game Changer Series event on October 9, 2104, in Fargo, ND. Saberi, who grew up in Fargo, moved to Iran in 2003 to work as the Iran correspondent for the U.S.-based Feature Story News. She was arrested on January 31, 2009. Saberi was later sentenced to eight years in prison on a trumped-up charge of espionage. In May 2009, an Iranian court overturned the sentence, and she was released. She recounts her ordeal in the book Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran.  Building on critical themes in the book, the event entitled Between Two Worlds: America and the Middle East focused on the political unrest that continues to take violent form in many countries of the Middle East as everyday people fight for the freedom and justice many Americans take for granted. The Game Changer featured seven speakers with different perspectives on how the outcomes of these conflicts will alter the economic, political, and social landscape of the region and force America to renegotiate our relationship with this part of the world as the pace of globalization accelerates.  Audience favorites included, writer G. Willow Wilson, Josh Rushing, and Naomi Shihab Nye.

Established by the North Dakota Humanities Council, the Game Changer Series is an annual event that focuses on a major event or idea that is significantly changing the face of our world and invites people close to the action to share their stories. It is an once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet people living deeply meaningful lives committed to change and innovation for a better, more prosperous world.

The title of the 2015 Game Changer is iHuman: Exploring the Intersection of Technology and Humanity.  To learn more about the event visit, www.gamechangernd.com.