Shirin Shah on a Journey With Grief & Running SASS

Brown Game Strong

TW: Topics around death and grief are discussed in this episode.

The first thing I noticed about Shirin when I met her for the first time at a dance class was how reserved she appeared to be, but as soon as we started getting to know one another, I quickly learned how chilled and at times goofy she is, and also how much wisdom she has to offer despite not quite appreciating it herself. Aside from being a lawyer, a great dancer and overall lovely person, none of which she gives herself enough credit for (do any of us?) she is also impressively the co-founder of South Asian Sisters Speak (SASS), an organisation and community designed to open up difficult conversations around the South Asian female and non-binary experience. They run book clubs and round tables where ideas are shared among many other inspiring and educational events. It has been a privilege to hear the story of how this community came about from one of the founding mothers herself.

Perhaps a topic that we hardly ever hear about in any culture or community is that of death, loss and grief. Yet as Shirin so eloquently puts it, it's the only guaranteed thing in all our lives. We will all have an experience with it at some point, and so it is important to think about how to navigate it rather than brushing it under the carpet and how to be more empathetic towards those experiencing it. This is one of the very first times Shirin has shared her experience with losing her dad earlier this year; a deep rooted, ominous fear that many of us who are close to our parents carry on our chest, and I really learnt a lot from her experience with it, and particularly amidst a global pandemic.

Feel free to reach out to Shirin on twitter.com/shirinfulna or on Instagram via @weare_sass to get involved in their exciting events and community.

Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.