Mehrsa Baradaran facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mehrsa Baradaran
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| Born | April 3, 1978 Orumieh, Imperial State of Iran
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| Education | Brigham Young University (BA) New York University (JD) |
| Employer | University of California, Irvine School of Law |
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Notable work
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How the Other Half Banks: Exclusion, Exploitation, and the Threat to Democracy The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap |
Mehrsa Baradaran (born April 3, 1978) is an American expert in law. She teaches law at the University of California, Irvine. Baradaran is well-known for her ideas about how banks work. She believes in postal banking, which means post offices could offer basic banking services. This would help people who don't have easy access to banks. She also talks about the wealth gap between different groups. She has suggested a "Black New Deal" to help close this gap.
Early Life and Education
Mehrsa Baradaran was born on April 3, 1978, in Orumieh, Iran. Her mother was held as a political prisoner in Iran for some years. In 1986, Mehrsa and her family moved to the United States. They settled in Los Angeles.
When Mehrsa and her younger sister Shima started elementary school, they did not speak English. However, they learned the language very quickly, in about three months. Her family also changed their religion from Islam to Christianity. They joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In 2002, Baradaran graduated from Brigham Young University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature. She then went to New York University School of Law. She worked as an editor for the New York University Law Review. In 2005, she earned her law degree, called a Juris Doctor.
Baradaran spent a year and a half helping Latino immigrants in Houston. This experience helped her become fluent in Spanish.
Legal Career
After finishing law school, Baradaran worked as a lawyer in New York City. She was part of the financial institutions team at the law firm Davis, Polk & Wardwell. From 2009 to 2010, she was a special researcher at NYU School of Law. After that, she became a professor at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School.
In 2012, Baradaran joined the law faculty at the University of Georgia School of Law. There, she taught classes on contracts and banking law. Later, at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Law, she taught courses like "Banking Law" and "Race, Law & Capitalism." These classes look at how racism and inequality connect with the law.
Political Involvement
In November 2020, Mehrsa Baradaran was part of the team helping Joe Biden prepare to become president. She worked with groups related to the Department of Treasury and the Federal Reserve.
In 2021, Baradaran was considered for a high-level government job. This job was the Comptroller of the Currency, which oversees national banks. Many progressive politicians, like Representative Jamaal Bowman, supported her. Another professor, Saule Omarova, was chosen for the role instead. Baradaran has also been mentioned as a possible candidate to serve on the Federal Reserve.
Personal Story
In January 2017, Baradaran shared her story as a refugee from Iran in Slate magazine. She explained that she was one of the "immigrants and refugees" who might be stopped from coming to America. She wrote about how her family left Iran because of its extreme nationalism. She said that the government there had put "Iran First" and silenced different voices. Baradaran expressed her hope for America, saying it is her home and she will keep working to make it great.
