[Music]
good afternoon how’s everybody doing
wonderful I I’m so happy to be back here
today I am I’m from Dearborn Michigan I
don’t know if anybody heard of Dearborn
Michigan
I’m an arab-american sorry white people
don’t be scared but every ten years in
America I want to talk about something
every ten years in America we do a
census you know we have to do it it’s in
the Constitution We the People in order
form a more perfect union establish
justice blah blah blah and when you do
the census they ask you stuff they ask
you what’s your name what’s your address
and then they get to these questions
about race and everybody has a box on
the census form but Arabs we don’t have
a box first question they ask you right
away is are you Hispanic Spanish or
Latino that’s the first question they
ask you I don’t know why maybe Trump
wrote the form I was filling out this
form I wanted to be counted now this
form this part did not go for me as you
can see I failed this question I moved
on and they have these questions what is
your race and they ask you look at all
the all these boxes here white black all
these boxes and everyone has a box Samoa
Guam Fiji all these boxes but we Arabs
we don’t have a box I wanted to check
one of these boxes all right I almost
check the black box because Arabs were
very similar to black people we get
profile we get blamed for stuff that we
don’t do we scare the hell out of white
people we have big families and Sunday
dinner and lots of cousins we do all
that kind of stuff like the way you know
you’re one of us is if your family’s so
like if you ever took your uncle to
Chuckie Cheese you’re one of us look at
all these other boxes they have a box
this American Indian you’re not supposed
to say American Indian you’re supposed
to a Native American you’re not supposed
to say American Indian but they don’t
they don’t say Native American they
don’t want to confuse too many people
because I think I think Mike Pence
thinks that he’s a Native American
they wrote Asian Indian now India is in
Asia you don’t need a right agent India
but they wrote American Indians so they
had to write Asian in it look at all the
Chinese Filipino Japanese Korean
Vietnamese sounds like the best food
court ever I didn’t check that box all
these boxes there’s nothing left all
that happens if you don’t have a box for
you you get down and then there’s
something that says some other race some
other kind of like we don’t really give
we don’t care just right in here now a
lot of people in our community did that
and if you’re an Arab if you don’t have
a box you check some other race now
every Arab has gone through this they’re
filling out a college application or a
job application are there any Arab
Americans here today yes all right don’t
be too excited but if everyone has gone
through it and they’re frustrated or
annoyed and they don’t have their box so
they check other now on the United
States census form if you check some
other race and and and you put in an
Arab country do you know what happens to
that form do you know what happens to
the form you know what they do with that
form they don’t burn it they don’t give
it to the FBI they actually file it with
white people did you know that yes
according to the federal government
we’re what what scary right for you not
but we deserve our own box do you guys
believe that our bure Americans deserve
their own box on the census form yes I
want to start a rally right here today
at the Masonic Temple of Detroit we’re
not white we’re not we’re not where we
are not white
we’re not white cuz I I know I grew up
with white people and Arabs are
different we do business different we
bargain in a way that nobody’s ever
bargained before I’ve seen my dad walk
into a store when I was a kid I went to
go get a shirt I said Bob I like this
shirt he said how much is it this Arabic
for how much how much is it I said 20
dollars and he starts feeling the fabric
does anyone else have the immigrant dad
it feels the fabric like he’s a fabric
expert my dad goes this is very good
fabric I’m like you grew up in a refugee
camp okay you don’t know what fabric
feels like said the same thing every
Arab dad says do you know how much it
causes them to make this
three dollars maybe four so let’s give
them five I was like this is the gap you
can’t do that here we bargain different
we don’t understand some things I I got
asked to go and see a charity auction
for a bunch of Arabs in New Jersey like
five years ago auction auction how
explain the concept of an auction to
Arabs they don’t understand this stuff
these people have been bargaining their
whole lives it was very confusing to
them they said wait we are fighting to
make the price higher like this this
doesn’t make sense to a bargain er I got
on stage and I was like depending on
this item starts out at $1000 some Arab
said 400 I said no I don’t think you
understand the way this works and we
have weird names we got to try to fit in
my name my name is al mercy armor armor
armors some of you saw some of Arabs I
know some of you are here some of you
change your names for white people you
got to stop doing that
some of you have met Arabs who names are
like Mike or Fey that’s not their names
that’s not their names my name is armor
and and it gets confusing sometimes
because it autocorrects to America
and that doesn’t help like when I’m
sending like late night text messages
you know like hey baby
it’s America ooh no screw Trump I’m
Muslim banning you but we also get
portrayed in ways that we don’t want to
get portrayed because we’re
misunderstood because we don’t have that
box we don’t know we don’t know let me
tell you a little bit about me see i i i
get asked weird questions all the time
one a few people don’t know what we are
I was in the airport a few years ago on
the flight was delayed not because of me
but the flight was delayed and I went
into the airport bar and I was talking
to this guy and them nice white guy said
what’s your name I said Amer
he said wow that is an interesting name
where are you from
I said I’m from Michigan he said no
where are you from from this is what
white people say when they want to find
out where are you from where you really
really from and I said I’m from from
Palestine that’s where I’m from I’m
Palestinian like Jesus let me tell you a
little bit about where I’m from from
that’s right
Jesus is where I am from from he’s he’s
the most famous man in the history of
the world yeah we we should probably use
him more we don’t use them enough we
people are scared of Palestinian
something like for instance they see
this scarf and they think something’s
about to go down now sometimes we wear
this scarf because we’re protesting
sometimes we wear it because it’s cool
and it’s a really good scarf all right
so if you see me walking down the street
in July and I’m wearing this scarf get
out of the way I got something to say
but if you see me walking down the
street in January wearing this scarf
it’s probably cause it’s cold and we
live in Detroit but if it’s MLK Day it’s
because it’s cold and we’re protesting
and get out of my way and I got a lot of
friends with me see I don’t know we III
live here in America and see where I’m
from and America is a beautiful place
but it’s not as old as where I’m from
from say Palestine is past you might
have heard about Palestine I don’t know
there on the news or in the Bible see we
we span a long range it’s different
we’re in this beautiful theater today
it’s very old very land and and somebody
will stand outside this theater here in
America because America is a young
country and say this theater is 100
years and then you go to Palestine and
you’re in Jerusalem and you’re eating a
falafel sandwich and you say to the
owner of the restaurant tell me about
this restaurant and he says well Jesus
ate here and you’re like that’s all
that’s where I’m from from see and we
get we get portrayed in ways that we
don’t want to get portrayed
see what what’s the biggest high school
in Detroit cause Cass Tech right Cass
Tech the Cass Tech what’s your mascot is
called the technicians that’s a nice
name that’s a nice thing it’s a nice
name imagine if you were called the Cass
Tech Mexicans and this was your mascot
you could imagine some Mexicans would be
very upset in Dearborn we have a high
school called XO Ford high school
they’re there their mascot is the
Thunderbird I don’t know what a
Thunderbird is but it’s fine whatever I
imagine if they were called the Etzel
Ford blacks and this was their mascot I
could imagine some people getting very
very upset this is the actual mascot of
a high school in California they’re
called the Coachella Valley High School
Arabs that’s who they are
you see that’s who they are we went and
we set to them hey guys this is
offensive they said to us well we don’t
think it’s offensive what we said well
we’re real Arabs
and we think this is pretty offensive you know what they said to us they said
you know what they said to us they said well we feel like we are celebrating
well we feel like we are celebrating your culture so not only is this how
your culture so not only is this how they see us this is the most positive
they see us this is the most positive way in which they see us do you
way in which they see us do you understand the problem that we have this
understand the problem that we have this is what we’re dealing with all the time
is what we’re dealing with all the time and so we’re here today trying to say we
and so we’re here today trying to say we need our own box we need to be
need our own box we need to be recognized we’re not white
recognized we’re not white I wish we were seems like the best thing
I wish we were seems like the best thing to be but we’re not we’re not and so I
to be but we’re not we’re not and so I want to make sure everyone knows we need
want to make sure everyone knows we need to be counted we need to be heard we
to be counted we need to be heard we need to be somebody that is like
need to be somebody that is like somebody like everybody else part of the
somebody like everybody else part of the community of communities in America
community of communities in America because you don’t get us a box then you
because you don’t get us a box then you get to do something like us like make a
get to do something like us like make a mascot out of who we are or you might do
mascot out of who we are or you might do something like they did to this kid this
something like they did to this kid this kid’s name is Deanne he was in high
kid’s name is Deanne he was in high school in Florida
school in Florida whenever he would walk into his French
whenever he would walk into his French class his teacher would say here comes
class his teacher would say here comes the Taliban here comes the raghead and
the Taliban here comes the raghead and they complain and that’s his dad next to
they complain and that’s his dad next to him and they complain and you know he’s
him and they complain and you know he’s that complain to the principal he didn’t
that complain to the principal he didn’t get what he want and then he went to the
get what he want and then he went to the superintendent if you know any Arab dads
superintendent if you know any Arab dads they’re never it’s like satisfied that
they’re never it’s like satisfied that was want to talk to the manager and he
was want to talk to the manager and he went talk to the superintendent and they
went talk to the superintendent and they did a whole investigation and they found
did a whole investigation and they found out that everything that young D AB was
out that everything that young D AB was telling them was true she was saying all
telling them was true she was saying all this stuff now clap once if you think
this stuff now clap once if you think this teacher should have been fired clap
this teacher should have been fired clap once if you think she never should have
once if you think she never should have been able to teach again she was
been able to teach again she was suspended for 5 days 5 days see that’s
suspended for 5 days 5 days see that’s the world that we live in so I say I
the world that we live in so I say I wish we were white but I know we’re not
wish we were white but I know we’re not I know we’re not and so now I think the
I know we’re not and so now I think the census form should be fixed you know
census form should be fixed you know just I can make it very simple ask for
just I can make it very simple ask for questions what’s your name what’s your
questions what’s your name what’s your birthday where you from where you from
birthday where you from where you from from
from that’s it that’s all we need to know and
that’s it that’s all we need to know and for all you Arabs out there when you
for all you Arabs out there when you were filling out this form and they
were filling out this form and they asked you what’s your name
asked you what’s your name don’t change it anymore for anybody else
don’t change it anymore for anybody else be proud of who you are okay if you’re
be proud of who you are okay if you’re if seriously if your name is Mohammed be
if seriously if your name is Mohammed be Mohammed if your name is Jamila be
Mohammed if your name is Jamila be Jamila if your name is Mustafa be
Jamila if your name is Mustafa be Mustapha if your name is jihad BJ we
Mustapha if your name is jihad BJ we don’t need these problems man
don’t need these problems man thank you everybody have a good night
good afternoon how’s everybody doing
wonderful I I’m so happy to be back here
today I am I’m from Dearborn Michigan I
don’t know if anybody heard of Dearborn
Michigan
I’m an arab-american sorry white people
don’t be scared but every ten years in
America I want to talk about something
every ten years in America we do a
census you know we have to do it it’s in
the Constitution We the People in order
form a more perfect union establish
justice blah blah blah and when you do
the census they ask you stuff they ask
you what’s your name what’s your address
and then they get to these questions
about race and everybody has a box on
the census form but Arabs we don’t have
a box first question they ask you right
away is are you Hispanic Spanish or
Latino that’s the first question they
ask you I don’t know why maybe Trump
wrote the form I was filling out this
form I wanted to be counted now this
form this part did not go for me as you
can see I failed this question I moved
on and they have these questions what is
your race and they ask you look at all
the all these boxes here white black all
these boxes and everyone has a box Samoa
Guam Fiji all these boxes but we Arabs
we don’t have a box I wanted to check
one of these boxes all right I almost
check the black box because Arabs were
very similar to black people we get
profile we get blamed for stuff that we
don’t do we scare the hell out of white
people we have big families and Sunday
dinner and lots of cousins we do all
that kind of stuff like the way you know
you’re one of us is if your family’s so
like if you ever took your uncle to
Chuckie Cheese you’re one of us look at
all these other boxes they have a box
this American Indian you’re not supposed
to say American Indian you’re supposed
to a Native American you’re not supposed
to say American Indian but they don’t
they don’t say Native American they
don’t want to confuse too many people
because I think I think Mike Pence
thinks that he’s a Native American
they wrote Asian Indian now India is in
Asia you don’t need a right agent India
but they wrote American Indians so they
had to write Asian in it look at all the
Chinese Filipino Japanese Korean
Vietnamese sounds like the best food
court ever I didn’t check that box all
these boxes there’s nothing left all
that happens if you don’t have a box for
you you get down and then there’s
something that says some other race some
other kind of like we don’t really give
we don’t care just right in here now a
lot of people in our community did that
and if you’re an Arab if you don’t have
a box you check some other race now
every Arab has gone through this they’re
filling out a college application or a
job application are there any Arab
Americans here today yes all right don’t
be too excited but if everyone has gone
through it and they’re frustrated or
annoyed and they don’t have their box so
they check other now on the United
States census form if you check some
other race and and and you put in an
Arab country do you know what happens to
that form do you know what happens to
the form you know what they do with that
form they don’t burn it they don’t give
it to the FBI they actually file it with
white people did you know that yes
according to the federal government
we’re what what scary right for you not
but we deserve our own box do you guys
believe that our bure Americans deserve
their own box on the census form yes I
want to start a rally right here today
at the Masonic Temple of Detroit we’re
not white we’re not we’re not where we
are not white
we’re not white cuz I I know I grew up
with white people and Arabs are
different we do business different we
bargain in a way that nobody’s ever
bargained before I’ve seen my dad walk
into a store when I was a kid I went to
go get a shirt I said Bob I like this
shirt he said how much is it this Arabic
for how much how much is it I said 20
dollars and he starts feeling the fabric
does anyone else have the immigrant dad
it feels the fabric like he’s a fabric
expert my dad goes this is very good
fabric I’m like you grew up in a refugee
camp okay you don’t know what fabric
feels like said the same thing every
Arab dad says do you know how much it
causes them to make this
three dollars maybe four so let’s give
them five I was like this is the gap you
can’t do that here we bargain different
we don’t understand some things I I got
asked to go and see a charity auction
for a bunch of Arabs in New Jersey like
five years ago auction auction how
explain the concept of an auction to
Arabs they don’t understand this stuff
these people have been bargaining their
whole lives it was very confusing to
them they said wait we are fighting to
make the price higher like this this
doesn’t make sense to a bargain er I got
on stage and I was like depending on
this item starts out at $1000 some Arab
said 400 I said no I don’t think you
understand the way this works and we
have weird names we got to try to fit in
my name my name is al mercy armor armor
armors some of you saw some of Arabs I
know some of you are here some of you
change your names for white people you
got to stop doing that
some of you have met Arabs who names are
like Mike or Fey that’s not their names
that’s not their names my name is armor
and and it gets confusing sometimes
because it autocorrects to America
and that doesn’t help like when I’m
sending like late night text messages
you know like hey baby
it’s America ooh no screw Trump I’m
Muslim banning you but we also get
portrayed in ways that we don’t want to
get portrayed because we’re
misunderstood because we don’t have that
box we don’t know we don’t know let me
tell you a little bit about me see i i i
get asked weird questions all the time
one a few people don’t know what we are
I was in the airport a few years ago on
the flight was delayed not because of me
but the flight was delayed and I went
into the airport bar and I was talking
to this guy and them nice white guy said
what’s your name I said Amer
he said wow that is an interesting name
where are you from
I said I’m from Michigan he said no
where are you from from this is what
white people say when they want to find
out where are you from where you really
really from and I said I’m from from
Palestine that’s where I’m from I’m
Palestinian like Jesus let me tell you a
little bit about where I’m from from
that’s right
Jesus is where I am from from he’s he’s
the most famous man in the history of
the world yeah we we should probably use
him more we don’t use them enough we
people are scared of Palestinian
something like for instance they see
this scarf and they think something’s
about to go down now sometimes we wear
this scarf because we’re protesting
sometimes we wear it because it’s cool
and it’s a really good scarf all right
so if you see me walking down the street
in July and I’m wearing this scarf get
out of the way I got something to say
but if you see me walking down the
street in January wearing this scarf
it’s probably cause it’s cold and we
live in Detroit but if it’s MLK Day it’s
because it’s cold and we’re protesting
and get out of my way and I got a lot of
friends with me see I don’t know we III
live here in America and see where I’m
from and America is a beautiful place
but it’s not as old as where I’m from
from say Palestine is past you might
have heard about Palestine I don’t know
there on the news or in the Bible see we
we span a long range it’s different
we’re in this beautiful theater today
it’s very old very land and and somebody
will stand outside this theater here in
America because America is a young
country and say this theater is 100
years and then you go to Palestine and
you’re in Jerusalem and you’re eating a
falafel sandwich and you say to the
owner of the restaurant tell me about
this restaurant and he says well Jesus
ate here and you’re like that’s all
that’s where I’m from from see and we
get we get portrayed in ways that we
don’t want to get portrayed
see what what’s the biggest high school
in Detroit cause Cass Tech right Cass
Tech the Cass Tech what’s your mascot is
called the technicians that’s a nice
name that’s a nice thing it’s a nice
name imagine if you were called the Cass
Tech Mexicans and this was your mascot
you could imagine some Mexicans would be
very upset in Dearborn we have a high
school called XO Ford high school
they’re there their mascot is the
Thunderbird I don’t know what a
Thunderbird is but it’s fine whatever I
imagine if they were called the Etzel
Ford blacks and this was their mascot I
could imagine some people getting very
very upset this is the actual mascot of
a high school in California they’re
called the Coachella Valley High School
Arabs that’s who they are
you see that’s who they are we went and
we set to them hey guys this is
offensive they said to us well we don’t
think it’s offensive what we said well
we’re real Arabs
and we think this is pretty offensive you know what they said to us they said
you know what they said to us they said well we feel like we are celebrating
well we feel like we are celebrating your culture so not only is this how
your culture so not only is this how they see us this is the most positive
they see us this is the most positive way in which they see us do you
way in which they see us do you understand the problem that we have this
understand the problem that we have this is what we’re dealing with all the time
is what we’re dealing with all the time and so we’re here today trying to say we
and so we’re here today trying to say we need our own box we need to be
need our own box we need to be recognized we’re not white
recognized we’re not white I wish we were seems like the best thing
I wish we were seems like the best thing to be but we’re not we’re not and so I
to be but we’re not we’re not and so I want to make sure everyone knows we need
want to make sure everyone knows we need to be counted we need to be heard we
to be counted we need to be heard we need to be somebody that is like
need to be somebody that is like somebody like everybody else part of the
somebody like everybody else part of the community of communities in America
community of communities in America because you don’t get us a box then you
because you don’t get us a box then you get to do something like us like make a
get to do something like us like make a mascot out of who we are or you might do
mascot out of who we are or you might do something like they did to this kid this
something like they did to this kid this kid’s name is Deanne he was in high
kid’s name is Deanne he was in high school in Florida
school in Florida whenever he would walk into his French
whenever he would walk into his French class his teacher would say here comes
class his teacher would say here comes the Taliban here comes the raghead and
the Taliban here comes the raghead and they complain and that’s his dad next to
they complain and that’s his dad next to him and they complain and you know he’s
him and they complain and you know he’s that complain to the principal he didn’t
that complain to the principal he didn’t get what he want and then he went to the
get what he want and then he went to the superintendent if you know any Arab dads
superintendent if you know any Arab dads they’re never it’s like satisfied that
they’re never it’s like satisfied that was want to talk to the manager and he
was want to talk to the manager and he went talk to the superintendent and they
went talk to the superintendent and they did a whole investigation and they found
did a whole investigation and they found out that everything that young D AB was
out that everything that young D AB was telling them was true she was saying all
telling them was true she was saying all this stuff now clap once if you think
this stuff now clap once if you think this teacher should have been fired clap
this teacher should have been fired clap once if you think she never should have
once if you think she never should have been able to teach again she was
been able to teach again she was suspended for 5 days 5 days see that’s
suspended for 5 days 5 days see that’s the world that we live in so I say I
the world that we live in so I say I wish we were white but I know we’re not
wish we were white but I know we’re not I know we’re not and so now I think the
I know we’re not and so now I think the census form should be fixed you know
census form should be fixed you know just I can make it very simple ask for
just I can make it very simple ask for questions what’s your name what’s your
questions what’s your name what’s your birthday where you from where you from
birthday where you from where you from from
from that’s it that’s all we need to know and
that’s it that’s all we need to know and for all you Arabs out there when you
for all you Arabs out there when you were filling out this form and they
were filling out this form and they asked you what’s your name
asked you what’s your name don’t change it anymore for anybody else
don’t change it anymore for anybody else be proud of who you are okay if you’re
be proud of who you are okay if you’re if seriously if your name is Mohammed be
if seriously if your name is Mohammed be Mohammed if your name is Jamila be
Mohammed if your name is Jamila be Jamila if your name is Mustafa be
Jamila if your name is Mustafa be Mustapha if your name is jihad BJ we
Mustapha if your name is jihad BJ we don’t need these problems man
don’t need these problems man thank you everybody have a good night
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