Will Youmans

Will Youmans (born February 9, 1978) is a Palestinian American writer and activist.

Education

Youmans graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2000. In 2003, he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree. Youmans is currently pursuing a PhD in communication studies at his undergraduate alma mater, Michigan.

Activism and writing

He co-hosted and co-produced a show, What's Happening?, on the American channel of the international satellite TV station, Arab Radio and Television Network (ART). Youmans has written extensively in various media outlets, including the San Francisco Chronicle, The Michigan Daily, The Daily Californian, and CounterPunch. He wrote a weekly column with The Arab American News.

Hip hop music

Youmans performed as a hip hop artist under the stage name, Iron Sheik between 2000 and 2006, and released two albums, Camel Clutch 2003 and Yet We Remain. A part of the growing Palestinian hip hop movement, much of his music related to the historical plight of Palestinians. Iron Sheik was featured in media such as the BBC, CNN, the San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, and the French edition of Rolling Stone. He performed regularly at venues throughout the United States, and has appeared in Egypt, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom. He was profiled in an exhibit at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

Films

• America at a Crossroads: Campus Battleground (2007), Public Broadcasting Service

References

External links

Official sites

• Personal website

Profiles and interviews

• The New York Times: "Drawing a Rap Refrain From a U.N. Resolution"
• San Francisco Chronicle profile
• Znet/Left Hook interview