Najla Said (Arabic: نجلاء سعيد; born 4 April 1974) is a Palestinian–American author, actress, playwright, and activist. Through her literary and academic work, Said has confronted racism, stereotyping, social and economic inequality, and among others, the specific challenges that face immigrant and second-generation Americans.

Life

Said grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.^[1] Her father was the noted postcolonial scholar and public intellectual Edward Said and her mother is the writer and activist Mariam C. Said.^[2] She graduated from the Chapin School and Princeton University and trained in acting at The Shakespeare Lab of the Public Theatre.

In 2013, Said discussed Arab identity politics with Salon magazine and her approaching of the subject in her book Looking for Palestine.^[3]

Acting career

In 2010, Said featured in a one-woman off-Broadway play, Palestine.^[4]

Said has appeared in films including My Love Affair with Marriage, as well as several US TV shows including New Girl, NCIS: New Orleans and New Amsterdam.^[5]

Works

• Looking for Palestine: Growing Up Confused in an Arab-American Family. Penguin Group US. August 1, 2013. ISBN 978-1-101-63215-4.
• "Najla Said: An Open Letter to Shakira: We Are Not All Israel". Guernica. June 24, 2011.