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Poet Suheir Hammad Joins Queen Noor and Actor Mary Louise Parker as Presenter at Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards

Posted on Monday April 26, 2004

Washington— Def Poetry Jam’s Suheir Hammad will present American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) with the 2004 Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Award at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington on May 4th. ANERA is receiving the Gibran Award in recognition of its assistance to hundreds of thousands of displaced refugees throughout the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Jordan.

Hammad, a Palestinian American who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, is the recipient of numerous awards including NYU’s Emerging Artist Award. She was an original cast member of the Tony-award winning “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway” and currently stars in the national tour. Published in numerous periodicals and anthologies, including Essence, STRESS Hip-Hop Magazine, and 33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women’s History, her poems, as well as her books Born Palestinian, Born Black and Drops of This Story, have received critical acclaim establishing her as one of the nation’s foremost young artists. She has said of her poetry, “it is my expressing myself as closely as possible to the original creation. For me creativity is a reflection of a higher power.” Hammad recently narrated the documentary “Fourth World War”.

Other recipients of 2004 Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards are Muhammad Ali, for his efforts to combat poverty and hunger throughout the world, and Rock the Vote for its work to empower young Americans. Rock the Vote’s Award will be presented by the West Wing’s Mary Louise Parker, who won a 2004 Golden Globe for her “Angels in America” performance. Following 9/11, Parker organized close to fifty of her fellow actors to film a series of public service announcements promoting tolerance towards Arab and Muslim Americans.

Her Majesty Queen Noor will present the first “Najeeb Halaby Public Service Award”, in honor of her late father, to Congressman Nick Rahall. Entertainment at the awards gala will be provided by Arab American comedians Dean Obeidallah and Maysoon Zayid.

Media covering the event should RSVP to Jennifer Salan or Rebecca Abou-Chedid at (202) 429-9210.