Homa Sarshar is an Iranian-American author, activist, feminist and journalist. She was a columnist for Zan-e-Ruz magazine and Kayhan daily newspaper between 1964 and 1978. She moved to United States and settled in Los Angeles one year before the Iranian Revolution in 1978.
Sarshar was born in Shiraz in 1946 to a Jewish family, and raised in Tehran. She studied French literature in Tehran University, later she obtained a MA in journalism from the Annenberg School of Communications, University of Southern California; and a Ph.D. (HC) in Journalism from College of Letters and Science at the American World University – LA, CA. Since 1993 Sarshar has been a trusted adviser by the Human Rights Watch.
Homa Sarshar has received numerous awards for her work, including the Medal for Special Achievement in Women’s Rights, given by The Iranian Women’s Organization of Tehran, Iran; Journalism Award: Distinguished Iranian Women by the Encyclopædia Iranica; Commendation for Community Affairs Services by the County of Los Angeles; and the 2013 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.