Will Youmans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with William Youmans, Broadway actor.
Will Youmans (born in Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1978) is a Palestinian-American writer, activist and hip-hop artist.
Youmans is an outspoken advocate for the cause of Palestinian human rights and a critic of American foreign policy in the Middle East. He co-hosts and co-produces a show, "What's Happening?," on the American channel of the international satellite TV station Arab Radio and Television (ART). He has written extensively in various media outlets, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Michigan Daily, Daily Californian, Counterpunch. He writes a weekly column with the Arab-American News.
He authored chapters in anthologies alongside many prominent progressive academics and journalists: Civil Rights in Peril and The Politics of Anti-Semitism. His writing will be featured in an Encyclopedia of Social Justice and a book on Arab-American art in 2007.
Youmans was also one of the early student leaders of campus divestment campaigns targeting Israel. He co-founded the national student group, the Students for Justice in Palestine.
Youmans founded a leading Arab-American blog, KABOBfest, where he writes regularly with other activists. It tackles current affairs and news relevant to the U.S. and the Middle East with both intelligence and humor.
Youmans also performs as a hip-hop artist under the stage name, "Iron Sheik." The Iron Sheik released two albums, "Camel Clutch 2003" and "Yet We Remain." Much of his music relates to the historical and current plight of Palestinians, making the Iron Sheik a part of the growing Palestinian hip hop movement. The Iron Sheik has been featured in media such as the BBC, CNN, the San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone (France). He performs regularly at venues throughout the United States, and has performed in Egypt, Lebanon and the UK. He is profiled in an exhibit in the Arab-American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
[edit] Films
[edit] Profiles, Interviews
- New York Times: "Drawing a Rap Refrain From a U.N. Resolution"
- San Francisco Chronicle Profile
- Znet/Left Hook Interview
- Detroit Free Press profile
- Michigan NPR Interview
