Najla Said is many things: a New Yorker, a Palestinian-Lebanese-Christian-American, a writer, an actress, a Princeton graduate and the daughter of Palestinian activist and scholar Dr. Edward Said. But one thing she insists she really is not, is "political".
Growing up on the upper west side of Manhattan, she attended a private prep school where the majority of her closest friends were Jewish. Like many young girls, her most fervent desire at the time was to fit in. And that meant distancing herself from her complicated Middle Eastern roots and the emotions that they stirred within her. She lived a life of privilege and comfort, and wasn't particularly interested in concerning herself with the causes and creeds of her highly politicized family. However, a trip to Palestine in her teenage years changed all that.
Her one-woman show "Palestine" is about this journey of self-discovery and coming to terms with what it really means to be Arab-American. It comes as no surprise that it's getting quite a lot of buzz, and has been extended to April 3rd. We hope to check it out early next week.
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