Lake Fellowship warmly welcomes guest speaker M. Jay Shahidi for a program about the role and responsibilities (past, present, and future) of the US as a member of the United Nations. Jay's program will move beyond basic UN-101 type information and delve deeper into correcting commonly held misbeliefs, and explore the future goals of this fascinating intergovernmental organization.
Mehr “Jay” Shahidi is free-lance international affairs researcher, lobbyist, public speaker, consultant, human rights activist, as well as a business owner living in Saint Louis Park.
He has been a Great Decisions Community Education Speaker for Global Minnesota and Foreign Policy Association for 20 years.
Jay has published dozens of opinion articles and given over 1200 public speeches on social-political issues; been quoted in newspapers such as Daily Telegraph of UK; Minneapolis StarTribune; MinnPost; Twin Cities Daily Planet; Mankato Free Press; and others.
He has also appeared on a number of TV and radio news shows including the Almanac of public TV.
His memoirs of his role and experiences during the Vietnam War protest era and the ensuing political-social upheaval in US have been published by Minnesota Historical Society.
He is a past president of the United Nations Association of USA, the Harold E. Stassen Chapter in Minnesota which is part of the United Nations Foundation. He also served on the National Council of the organization and in 2019 was presented with its Arnold Goodman Lifetime Achievement Award for 50 years of concerted advocacy of UN mission and for his relentless humanitarian efforts.
Jay has engaged in citizen lobbying at all levels of government in US since 1970 and has been an active member of Amnesty International, Citizens for Global Solutions, Population Connection and Minnesota Peace Project.
In 1999, Jay began offering fund-raising and advocacy services for the American Refugee Committee, now named Alight, providing life-saving services worldwide to about 2.5 million displaced people annually, and served on its Board of Directors for 12 years.
Born in Tehran, Iran, Jay came to US in 1968 and majored in economics and political science at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota (MSUM) where he became the student body president. In 1972, the university elected him to represent it on the Board of Directors of Mankato Area Chamber of Commerce where he served for two years.
In 1973 and again in 2002, Jay was chosen to deliver the university’s Commencement Address. And in 2004, he received the university's Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award for his work on diplomacy, peace-building; public education; refugee assistance; landmines removal; population stabilization; environmental protection; economic development; and, nuclear disarmament.
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