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Today I stand in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of students in Iran who are risking their lives by taking to the streets to peacefully protest their government.  It is this type of courage, commitment and sacrifice taken by young people around the world that inspires me everyday.  After the government of Iran tried to shut off access to the internet this morning, the power of social media (twitter, Facebook, youtube) has allowed us to experience their struggle right there with them.

When President Obama spoke in Cairo, it was only a few weeks before the first student rebellion in Iran.  That afternoon in Egypt, the President spoke to the Muslim world with a new tone and with a new direction.  Since that time, the world thought that President Ahmadinejad and his conservative government had successfully cracked down on the protesters and destroyed their movement.   However, it seems that what the government underestimated was that the students understood that freedom does not come easy and freedom does come without incredible sacrifice.  Risking their lives and the lives of their families, the students bravely march on, so one day freedom will last, and we can thank God Almighty that we are all free at last.

-Russell Simmons