Ralph welcomes Palestinian/American comedian Amer Zahr to talk about finding humor in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. And author, Steve Early, tells us how the town of Richmond, California became one of the most progressive communities in the country.
Amer Zahr is an Arab-American comedian, speaker, writer, academic, and adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He draws on his experiences growing up as a child of Palestinian immigrant parents, performing and lecturing on topics like politics, society, Islam, growing up Arab, and more. He is also the author of the well-read blog “The Civil Arab” as well as his first book, Being Palestinian Makes Me Smile, a collection of his writings relating to being Palestinian. He has performed throughout North America and the Middle East.
Steve Early is an author and a journalist who has also been an organizer, lawyer, union representative, and labor activist for the past forty-five years. He has written extensively on topics surrounding labor, including his collections of essays Save Our Unions: Dispatches from a Movement in Distress. His latest is entitled Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of An American City.
What’s So Funny About Palestine?