Amer Zahr is a Palestinian Arab American comedian, speaker, writer, and adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He draws on his experiences as a child of Palestinian refugees, addressing topics like politics, society, culture, and identity in his performances and lectures.
He served as a surrogate for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020. Amer has headlined at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, and he has produced several comedy tours, including the “1001 Laughs Comedy Tour” and “We’re Not White!”
Amer founded the “1001 Laughs Ramallah Comedy Festival” and the “1001 Laughs Dearborn Comedy Festival,” both of which continue to entertain audiences annually. In 2017, he debuted his documentary film, “We’re Not White,” about the Arab-American experience.
He is also the author of “The Civil Arab” blog and the book “Being Palestinian Makes Me Smile.” Amer holds an MA and a JD from the University of Michigan and frequently appears in media outlets like CNN, MSNBC, and Time magazine.
