Ray Hanania -- Additionla Bio Info
"Defining the moderate Palestinian Arab voice,
offering reason to the American, Israeli and Arab publics"
Biographical Profile
2009 M.T. Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award
NATIONAL WINNER Best Ethnic Columnist (2006/07) by New America Media
Three-time winner, Society of Professional Journalists Peter Lisagor Award for Column Writing (85, 02, 06)
Two-time winner, Chicago Newspaper Guild Stick-O-Type Award
Author, internationally acclaimed standup comedian, satirist, filmmaker
BOOK RAY HANANIA AS A SPEAKER
PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISM/WRITING RESUME
NAMED "Best of the Best" Presenters/Speakers by LACONI
(Library Administrators Conference of Northern Illinois, 2007)OVERVIEW
Ray Hanania is a MEDIA ANALYST AND COLUMNIST, WRITER, AUTHOR, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST and INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED STANDUP COMEDIAN who addresses American politics and provides Middle East analysis that defines "the moderate Arab and Palestinian voice."
He writes a media and political analysis column for the Southwest News-Herald Newspaper in Chicago, and hosts "Radio Chicagoland" on WJJG 1530 AM radio, broadcast every morning Monday through Friday from 8 to 9:30 am. he is the co-host of "Radio Baladi" on friday mornings from 7 -8 am Central and 8-9 am Eastern in Dearborn, Chicago and Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. He is also a blogger with PalestineNote.com. And, Hanania is a weekly columnist for the Jerusalem Post Newspaper.
Hanania has contributed opinion and analysis columns for many Middle East publications including for the Arab News newspaper in Saudi Arabia and al-Quds al-Arabi and Arabisto.com. He has written in the past for MidEastYouth.com blog, the New York Daily News, Newsday (NY), the Orlando Sentinel (FL), the Arab American News (Detroit), YnetNews (Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel), Sharq al-Awsat (Palestine), The Gulf News, al-Ayyam, al-Hayat (Palestine), al-Quds alAraby (Palestine), The Future News (Chicago), the Arlington Heights Daily Herald, and more.
He is a co-founder of the National Arab American Journalists Association (NAAJA) and Yalla Peace, the movement to bring two-states to Palestine and Israel. Hanania is manager of the Arab American Writers Group Syndicate. His feature essays and profiles have appeared in Star Magazine, ALO Hayati Magazine, Chicago Magazine and ARAMCO Magazine. He has blogged his analysis of political issues for the HuffingtonPost.com.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" for 2006/2007 by the New America Media Association and was awarded the 2006-07 Society of Professional Journalists Peter Lisagor Award for Column Writing (his 3rd). He received the 2009 Dr. M.T. Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award presented by the Mehdi Family.
A veteran journalist with more than 30 years experience covering Chicago politics and Middle East issues, Hanania has also taken sabaticals from journalism to explore and expand his knowledge of communications, working as a media consultant for several Fortune 100 Corporations, governments and private organizations in the United States and in the Middle East. He also is a lecturer (get more information) who addresses a wide range of topics including defining the moderate Arab voice, and he uses the power of humor to address conflict scenarios performing standup comedy at the nation's foremost clubs, universities and Arab, American, Jewish and Muslim events.
AUTHOR: He is an author. His books include a humorous and serious memoir of his experiences growing up as an Arab child in America called "Ya Habibi: Growing Up Arab in America" (Tahit al-Ard Press, 1996; 256 PP) and "Arabs of Chicagoland" an examination of the history of Arab American settlement in Chicago (Arcadia Publishing, 2005, 127 PP). (Read More)
STANDUP COMEDIAN: Ray Hanania is an internationally acclaimed standup comedian. As a direct result of the increased animosity by Americans against Arab and Muslim Americans, Hanania entered Standup comedy after Sept. 11, 2001 performing a unique mix of humor and satire that lampoons his unusual marriage to his wife, Alison, who is Jewish. He has performed at Caroline's on Broadway, the New York Comedy Club, and at clubs, colleges and universities around the country and in the Middle East (Jerusalem and Dubai, UAE). He has been featured on every major TV network program including the Today Show. Hanania avoids profanity and is the co-founder of Comedy for Peace which seeks to bridge the Palestinian-Israeli conflict using humor and understanding. He is the co-founder of the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour which performs standup comedy in Israel, Palestine, the Arab World and North America and Europe. The Web page is www.IPComedyTour.com. (Read More)
ONLINE FILMMAKER: Hanania also is the host of a monthly TV program addressing Middle East issues called "30 Minutes." It is broadcast in 69 suburban Chicago communities, and occasionally on Chicago's CAN-TV and on Bridges Muslim TV. In 2005, Hanania launched ARAB AMERICAN TV ONLINE where viewers from around the world can view his Cable TV interviews and other films that he produces on Middle East issues on-demand. The award winning filmmaker has producer severa; documentaries including on that examined the hatred against Arabs seeking to build a Mosque in the Chicago Suburbs of Palos Heights and Orland Park. He also is a Video-Blogger for al-Jazeera International, the English language broadcast of the popular Arab World Satellite journalism news station. (Read More) Hanania also vido blogs for al-Jazeera's English Language Listening Post Segment.
RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hanania is the host of a weekly radio talk show, Radio Chicagoland (www.RadioChicagoland.com) broadcast every Morning Monday through Friday at 8 am on WJJG 1530 AM Radio. The lively talk show features topics and discussions on every topic under the sun and features call-ins from listeners as well as guests from every field. Listen to the show online or find archived audio show segments, download podcasts for your iPods by visiting www.RadioChicagoland.com.
He is the co-host with Laila alHusinni of Radio Baladi broadcast every morning from 7 until 8 am Central and 8 to 9 am Eastern in Chicago and Dearborn, and in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
JOURNALISM BACKGROUND
Hanania writes an award-winning column analyzing political and societal issues for the Southwest News-Herald. The Chicago Headline Club/Society of Professional Journalists presented him with the Peter Lisagor Award for column writing in the Community Newspaper category in April 2007, his 3rd Lisagor Award in his career. Hanania cut his teeth covering Chicago's tumultuous City Hall politics and seven Chicago Mayors from 1976 until 1991 for a major Chicago newspaper.
JOURNALISM AWARDS
Hanania's writing is founded in professional journalism and is described as "compelling and poignant." Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist in America" 2006/07 by the prestigious New America Media Association in their national awards that have been dubbed "The Ethnic Pulitzers." He is the 2009 recipient of the Dr. M.T. Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award for Journalism. Hanania is a three-time Award Winner (1984/5, 2002/3 2006/7) and seven-time finalist for the Society of Professional Journalist "Lisagor Award" for Column writing. He has received two Chicago Newspaper Guild Column Awards for Excellence. Hanania worked at the Chicago Sun-Times (1985-1991) as a columnist and senior political writer for the Page 10 column, and as a political reporter and columnist covering Chicago City Hall. Previously, Hanania worked as the City Hall reporter and political columnist (The Grapevine) for the Daily Southtown Newspapers (1977-1985). Hanania published the Villager Newspapers (1993-1996) providing news coverage to 11 Southwest Suburban Chicago communities. Hanania also served in many roles with the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which awarded him a Media Freedom Award in 1988 and again in 1993, including recently as a media advisor to the Chicago ADC board.
Hanania also hosted a lively radio talk show on several Chicago stations including WLS AM/FM (1983-1992). And, Hanania has worked as a contributing field producer and associate producer including for WMAQ (NBC) TV ("A Different Kind of Teacher") in Chicago.
MIDDLE EAST WRITING & EXPERTISE
Hanania began his foray into American journalism in 1976 after being honorably discharged from the United States Air Force at the end of the Vietnam War. He launched the Middle Eastern Voice Newspaper (1976-1978), which was Chicago's first-ever Arab American newspaper. It was published in English and focused on Arab American community activies as well as on Middle East related issues. Later, in 1998, he launched the English-language Arab American View Newspaper (1998-2002) to supplement the growing Arab American newspapers that existed in Chicago prior to Sept. 11. There were seven Arab Newspapers in Chicago prior to Sept. 11. Afterwards, only one survived.
Hanania writes a regular column analyzing Middle East eventsand that seek to define "the Moderate Palestinian view." The columns are internationally syndicated and carried by major American newspapers including the Chicago regional Daily Herald Newspapers, as well as by newspapers in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. His columns run regularly in the Arab News in Jiddah Saudia Arabia, the Dallas Morning News, Newsday, Orlando Sentinel, the Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo), Sharq al-Awsat (London), al-Hayat al-Jadida, The Arab American Newspaper in Dearborn, the Jerusalem Times, and on the English language web page of Israel's largest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth. They also have appeared in many other prestigious publications including in Editor & Publisher Magazine.
In seeking to define "the moderate Palestinian voice," Hanania believes that Arabs and Palestinians must more clearly articulate the moral position between right and wrong in a region overwhelmed by tragedy and suffering. Hanania's syndicated columns offer a unique perspective on the Middle East conflict. He is the only Palestinian American professional journalist whose columns are nationally syndicated.
Hanania is the former executive director and a founder of the National Arab American Journalists Association (NAAJA) seeking to network Arab Americans who are engaged in professional journalism as a career, not activists engaged in writing or espousing partisan viewpoints. Hanania believes that as a journalist, he must always seek to write the truth, even when the truth might differ with community beliefs. He is a frequent guest lecturer and panelist on many national TV and radio shows including MSNBC, CNN, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and more. He is recognized as a reasoned voice on Middle East issues, professional journalism trends and issues, and on public relations and media strategies.
He is an active member of the Society of Professional Journalists where he serves on the National Diversity Committee, and the Asian American Journalists Association where he serves on the National Media Watch Committee.
BOOKS, AWARDS, CITATIONS, ACHIEVEMENTS
Hanania has authored several books including:
"Secrets of New Media Networking: How to Sidestep the biased mainstream American Media" August 2009, CafePress.com/Hanania Enterprises Ltd. 237 Pages. Paperback. (Order?)
"Talking to Israelis", CafePress/Hanania Enterprises Ltd. July 2006. 279 Page, Paperback
"Arabs of Chicagoland" Arcadia Publishing, 2005 128 Pages. (Order?)
"Ya Habibi: Growing Up Arab in America" (USG Publishing, 1996,2006) a humor book which includes the 1990 Intifada series, paper back; (order 2009 Edition)
"Slice of Life" (Tahit al-Ard Press, 2004) a collection of 81 of his humor columns, paper back.
"Troubled Times: Palestinian American Thought before and after Sept. 11th" which features 98 of his award-winning columns, paperback;
"Tabouli Tales" a cook book that pairs his personal Middle Eastern recipe favorites with stories of growing up Arab in America.
"Video Store Strategies" (USG Publishing, 1998 - 2005) manual;
"Midnight Flight: The Story of White Flight from Chicago" (USG Publishing, 2000-2005) Read it Online only;
"The Grape Leaves of Wrath" (USG Publishing 1999);
- "The Ansar Code," (CafePress/Hanania Enterprises Ltd. 2002
Hanania has also contributed essays in several books including:
Terror in the Holy Land: Inside the Anguish of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, (Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport, CT. 2006.) A collection of essays by Palestiniams, Israelis, Arabs and Jews on the impact that the conflict has had on both sides. By Jud Kuriansky.
"Peace Fire: Fragments from the Israel-Palestine Story" (Free Association Books, Blueear.com books, 2003), an essay on the post-Sept. 11th backlash against Arab and Muslim American;
"Dispatches from a Wounded World," (Booksurge.com and Blueear.com, 2001) the first book published on the aftermath of September 11th, 2001. An essay on the post-Sept. 11th backlash against Arab Americans;
"Lest We Forget" (Turner Publishing, KY., 2001) Essay on his military service.
"Framing the Struggle: Essays on the Middle East and the US Media" by Ahmed Bouzid, Palestine Media Watch. 2003.
Hanania is featured and quoted in several books examining including:
"Homeland" by Pulitzer Prize Winning Author Dale Maharidge, about post-Sept. 11 anti-Arab bigotry, Seven Stories Press, NY. 2004.
"Arab American Biography," Gale Group, Detroit/London, 1999.
"Blind Justice: A shocking true story of murder and scandal," by Edie and Ray Gibson, about the Diane Masters murder, St. Martin's Press, 1991.
"Devil's Game: How the US Helped Unleashed Radical Islam," by Robert Dreyfuss, 2005. Explores how Israel's rightwing government nurtured the rise of Hamas in the late 1970s and 1980s.
- "The Arab Americans," by Randa Kayyali. (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006).
- "American Orientalism: The United States and MIddle East since 1945," by Douglas Little. (I.B. Tauris Publishing, 2002).
- "Contemporary US Literature: MultiCultural Perspectives," Diane Publishing Company, Dept. of State Electronic Journals.
During his sabbatical from journalism, Hanania became active in advocating a peaceful settlement to the Middle East conflict. Hanania served as the National President of the Palestinian American Congress (1995-1996) elected on a platform of peace. He attended the 1993 White House peace signing between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat, and participated in numerous meetings with President Clinton, President Arafat and officials of the Palestinian and Israeli Labor governments.
He was a board member with Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam through the 1990s. He currently serves on the Entertainment Council of One Voice for Peace, and served as an adviser to TIKKUN. He is also a founder of Salam al-Ann! (Palestinians for Peace Now) which seeks to express a Palestinian voice of peace in today's bitter conflict. He has participated in many press conferences with Jewish American and Israeli leaders supporting a peaceful, just compromise between Palestinians and Israelis. He works with many Arab and Jewish organizations including Americans for Peace Now and Brit Zedek v'Shalom.
And he is a founder of PunchLines for Peace, a professional effort to bring Palestinian and Jewish American and Israeli comedians to comedy stages in Israel and in Palestine and provide workshops and instruction on using the power of Humor to address conflict situations. Hanania is co-founder of the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour which performs comedy throughout the Middle East, Europe and North America.
Hanania also served in many roles with the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which awarded him a Media Freedom Award in 1988 and again in 1993. He also recently served as a media advisor to the Chicago ADC board. He is currently a board member. www.ADCChicago.com.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Hanania hails from a prominent Christian Jerusalem family. His mother is from Bethlehem. His wife, Alison, is Jewish, demonstrating in life that Arabs and Jews can live together in peace. As he explores the complexities of the Middle East, he often taps this unique personal experience.
Hanania served in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War and has a Vietnam Era Service ribbon among several ribbons and distinctions. He served 9 1/2 years in the Illinois Air National Guard station at Peoria, Illinois and has Honorable Discharges from both. His father, George John Hanania, served during World War II in the 5th Army in Europe and later with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and his uncle, Moses Hanania, served in the US Navy during World War II. His brother John served in the US Marine Reserves.
Hanania is available for public speaking engagements around the country. Please contact him at 312-933-9855. Hanania is described as "one of the best speakers in the country on Arab American issues. His use of humor as an instrument of his presentations makes for a compelling and entertaining presentation for all audiences." He has appeared before audiences at Harvard University, the Congressional Institute in Washington D.C., the University of Michigan, and at Middle East conferences throughout the United States.
- 2009 Dr. M.T. Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award for Journalism
- Best National Ethnic Ethnic Columnist 2006-2007 by New America Media
- Sigma Delta Chi/Chicago Headline Club, "Lisagor Award" for column writing, 1985, 2002/2003, 2006
- Excellence in Journalism award, NAAJA, March 2002
- Arab American Community Leadership Award, 2001
- Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for a four-part series on Palestinian treatment
under Israeli Occupation 1991 (By the Chicago Sun-Times/Earl Moses Editor)- Sigma Delta Chi/Chicago Headline Club Lisagor Finalist, 1987, 1998, 1999, 2000
- Chicago Newspaper Guild Column Writing Award, 1985, 1986
- UPI Writing Award 1983
- ADC Media/Freedom Award, 1987-1988, 1993
Past Published Articles
- Houston Chronicle series on Chicago Flood, April 14 - 19, 1992
Contact Information:
Ray Hanania
P.O. Box 2127
Orland Park, IL 60462
708-575-9078 eFax
For faster response, email rayhanania@comcast.netPlease note, I am NOT a member nor am I an adviser to the "Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism." Although the group's principles are noteworthy, they tend to be a confrontational organization on the opposite extreme.
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