From Evin Prison to Frankfurt City Hall: The Extraordinary Odyssey of Nargess Eskandari

Eskandari-Grünberg’s political trajectory reached a historic milestone when she was elected as a full-time city councilor and eventually the Mayor in charge of Integration, Diversity, and Anti-Discrimination. In this role, she became one of the most visible faces of "Modern Germany"—a nation grappling with its identity in an era of globalization. She championed the "Frankfurt Model" of integration, which emphasizes early language acquisition, equal access to the labor market, and active participation in civic life. Her leadership was marked by an insistence that the city’s institutions must reflect the demographics of the people they serve.