Born: 1974, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: ميسون زايد
The following is republished from the National Endowment for the Arts. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Born and raised by Palestinian parents in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, Maysoon Zayid grew up spending summers at the West Bank. With one foot in Palestine and the other in the United States, Zayid’s bicultural upbringing exposed her at a young age to just how diverse the world can be. It wasn’t until she got to college, however, that Zayid fully grasped how her physical differences changed the way society viewed her. Zayid has cerebral palsy and, as she points out, people living with a disability comprise the biggest minority in the world and the only one you can join at any time.
As Zayid pursued a career in comedy, she began broadening her routines to address the rampant discrimination not only against Muslims in America but against the disabled on film and TV.
In addition to doing stand-up and advocacy work, Zayid now teaches comedy at her alma mater, Arizona State University, where she recently added her voice to the 3 Million Stories conference.