Amer Zahr (born 1977) is a Palestinian-American author, comedian and political activist.
Amer Zahr | |
---|---|
Born | 1977 Jordan |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Comedian |
Employer | |
Website | http://www.amerzahr.com |
Early life
editZahr was born in Jordan to refugee parents of Palestinian heritage originally from Nazareth, and then moved to the United States when he was three years old.[1][2][3] His father is Christian and his mother is Muslim, and he was raised with both traditions in the Philadelphia area.[4]
Career
editIn 2013, Zahr founded the "1001 Laughs Dearborn Comedy Festival," which continues annually.[5] He wrote "Being a Palestinian Makes Me Smile" and made the documentary We’re Not White, which was released in August 2017.[6][7][8][9]
In 2016, Zahr served as a national surrogate for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.[10][11]
Personal life
editZahr lives, and is based in, Dearborn, Michigan.[12] He is an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.[13] Zahr also holds Israeli citizenship through his mother, who was born in Acre, Israel.[14][15]
References
edit- ^ "US-Palestinian comedian brings laughter to Ramallah". 9 September 2016.
- ^ "Arabs and African Americans: A Complicated Relationship Between Solidarity and Bigotry - New America Media". 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Arab American event in Flint offers insight through comedy, food and art". 27 April 2015.
- ^ "Arab-Muslim comedy finding voice after 9/11".
- ^ "48 Hours: Best things to do in Metro Detroit".
- ^ "Inside the house of Omar Mateen, a hateful mass murderer who loved his toddler".
- ^ "Middle Easterners assert their own unique identity". 16 March 2014.
- ^ ""We're Not White" - a film by Amer Zahr". YouTube. 16 August 2017.
- ^ "Film sends note to Census Bureau: Arab Americans are not "white"". Michigan Radio. 29 August 2017.
- ^ "In New Jersey, Arab Americans Rally for Bernie Sanders". Observer. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
- ^ Nagl, Kurt. "Dearborn: Arab Americans gear up to vote, defying Trump". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
- ^ Jilani2016-03-09T21:32:41+00:00, Zaid JilaniZaid (9 March 2016). "Bernie Sanders Won America's Largest Arab Community by Being Open to Them".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "AMER ZAHR at University of Detroit Mercy". www.udmercy.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-04-04. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
- ^ "Israel-Bashing 'Palestinian' Comedian Outs Himself as Israeli Citizen | United with Israel". UWI. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "@emilykschrader". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-05-09.