This WLW we are highlighting Maysoon Zayid, an actress, comedian and advocate for disability rights.
Maysoon Zayid was born in 1974 in Cliffside Park, New Jersey which remains her home to this day. She received her BFA from Arizona State University where she received a full-ride scholarship. She has described herself as “a Palestinian Muslim virgin with cerebral palsy, from New Jersey, who is an actress, comedian and activist.” Maysoon’s material is chiefly about her family, global culture, and her life with cerebral palsy. In her stand-up sets she utilizes humor to illustrate the different ways her family tried to “cure” her disability, such as dance classes or a dunk in the Dead Sea, but maintains that her family was her biggest supporter.
Despite obstacles she faced early on in life, she always knew she wanted to be a performer, particularly on soap operas. When she realized that producers and directors were reacting to her and casting her in a certain way as a female, ethnic minority with a disability, she set out to use humor to tell her story and to finally find her stage. The following TED Talk illustrates her hilarious approach at embracing her identities.
She is the co-founder and co-executive producer of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival which she founded with Dean Obeidallah to showcase the talents of Arab-American actors, comics, playwrights and filmmakers, and challenge as well as inspire our fellow Arab-Americans to create outstanding works of comedy. Maysoon has appeared on Comedy Central’s The Watch List, CNN, HBO, As The World Turns, Law & Order, MTV, and 20/20. Most importantly, she weaves human rights and disability rights into her stand-up and her regular commentating on shows such as Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
Beyond her role as a champion for the visibility of Arabs in entertainment, Maysoon is an advocate for disability rights. She states that people with disabilities are the largest minority in the world and they are the most under-represented in entertainment. Maysoon founded Maysoon’s Kids in April 2001 to address the needs of the growing population of disabled children in Palestine. The program provides art and wellness programs, eye exams, basic necessities for orphans, and they have partnered with Playgrounds for Palestine to provide playgrounds for differently-abled children. They recently began their first college scholarship fund, as well. Check out Maysoon’s Kid’s here. http://maysoon.com/pages/maysoonskids
Maysoon is a woman leader because she sees the possibility in the impossible. This is a quality that we can learn to find in any of our roles. One might be presented with a challenge or difficult situation but actively trying to find alternative solutions can prove to be the best avenue in the long run. Maysoon did not take no for an answer when she received resistance and instead took every part of who she is and lead by example by not only achieving her goals but being a servant leader along the way.
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