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By Elizabeth Barrett Sullivan, Curator of Exhibits Last night, Nina Davuluri (Miss New York 2013) was crowned Miss America 2014. Ms. Davuluri is of Indian descent, ran on a “diversity” platform, and apparently performed a Bollywood-like dance for her talent. I have to admit that I didn’t watch the pageant. However, the pervasive backlash that arose after her crowning caused me to take note. 

If you have not already found it, we wanted to point out that there is a new section of oral histories under the "Resources" tab.

By Janice Freij, Curator of Education at the AANM When I tell people I'm Arab American, I get various reactions. "Oh...uh...Interesting," as they slowly back away. "You're Arab? But where's the dot on your forehead?" "You're an Arab! Teach me how to make hummus!"

Amer Zahr is an Arab-American stand-up comedian and writer. Drawing on his experiences growing up as a child of Palestinian refugees, he finds the humor in everyday cultural situations. As a Palestinian, politics also fall victim to his comedic ways. He has performed on stages and at festivals worldwide, and produced and headlined two of his own comedy tours, "1001 Laughs Comedy Tour" & "We're Not White!" Zahr also writes and speaks widely on political and social affairs, and has appeared on radio and television, including ABC's Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.