Negin Farsad is a rarity among comics. For one, she’s an Iranian-American Muslim and for another, she is an extremely accomplished academic, having obtained two master degrees from Columbia University – one in African-American studies and the other from the School of International and Public Affair. Not to mention that at school she interned for then Senator Hillary Clinton. So let’s just say, Ms. Farsad knows a thing or two about life which makes her a natural fit for her self-described role as a “social justice comedian.”
“If you’re trying to take on the dominant culture, your job is to really address white people,” says Ms. Farsad. “And as a comedian, my job is to really make white people laugh and change their minds.”
Fellow comedian and social-commentator Dean Obeidallah worked with Ms. Farsad on the 2012 documentary “The Muslims Are Coming!” which depicts Muslim-American comedians on a U.S. tour taking on Islamophobia. Mr. Obeidallah says Ms. Farsad’s approach is “funny in a smart way.” According to Refinery29, Ms. Farsad offers “comedy that gets people thinking, whether they like it or not.”
Ms. Farsad has loads of new projects – hot off the press is her new book, “How to Make White People Laugh.” “This book is more than funny,” states fellow comedian Julia Sweeny in a review of the book. “It’s on David Sedaris, first-class level. I laughed so hard, I made a spectacle of myself.”
Ms. Farsad has also recently co-directed and starred in the romantic comedy “3rd Street Blackout,” about a tech-savvy couple who has to deal with their floundering relationship during a blackout. The film is currently playing festivals.
