Nana, meemaw, gram, mamani, grandma: They are universally loved.
They are also at the heart of an Instagram account that lends a spotlight to those affected by Donald Trump's travel ban, which recently went into effect.
Time featured the people behind Instagram's Banned Grandmas, a collection of images of grandsons, granddaughters and grandmothers. It's meant to highlight the fact that, thanks to the travel ban, there is a very important and specific group of people that are being kept from seeing their families in America: grandmothers.
Holly Dagres helps curate the account and wonders: "Let's be real. Whose grandmother has ever committed a terrorist attack?"
As TravelPulse's Patrick Clarke explained, the revised ban prohibits visits from six predominantly Muslim countries, but it does allow travel for those people with 'bona fide' connections to those in America.
Yet, somehow White House whittled down the definition of those connections to exclude grandparents, grandchildren, aunts and uncles.
And thus a social media channel was born, illustrating the kind of love and affection that is negated by such a ban.
[CALLOUT]
Elham Khatami, works in Washington D.C. as the outreach director for the National Iranian American Council. She tells Time about what got her to post with the hashtags employed by the channel (#BannedGrandmas and #GrandparentsNotTerrorists):
"I feel tired of being cast aside and of being forced to prove my humanity at every turn. We don't recognize this country anymore, and it's a terrifying feeling."
[READMORE]READ MORE: Trump's New Restrictions for Cuba Revealed [/READMORE]
Kia Hamadanchy, a Democrat who lives in Irvine with aims on Congress, explains: "I think it helps show who we actually are. Donald Trump can go out there with his rhetoric, but everyone loves their grandmother and this shows who he's actually keeping out."
Banned Grandmas officials realize that the channel has been replete with Iranian examples of grandmotherly love but promise to have posts soon from the other affected countries like Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Libya.
Linda Schechet Tucker recently told the New York Times in a letter to the editor:
"I cannot believe that grandparents are now not 'close family.' I am the grandmother of four and believe I am an important part of my children's and grandchildren's lives. When help is needed in their families, I am the one they turn to. Likewise, when I need help, I turn to them."
The sentiment is echoed with every last image that goes up on Instagram, showing just how important grandmothers and grandfathers can be to a family.
The travel ban will, for a few months, most certainly affect weddings, reunions and simple vacations that were to be rare occasions when families could visit with their loved ones.
The gravity of such a thing is more than evident throughout Banned Grandmas.
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