Ray Hanania is an award winning Palestinian columnist, author and standup comedian. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize by the Chicago Sun-Times for his groundbreaking series on the Palestinian Intifada in 1990, he has won four Society of Professional Journalism Lisagor Awards, was named Best Ethnic American Columnist by the New America Media in November 2006, the recipient of the 2009 Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award and the winner of the 2009 Sigma Delta Chi National Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for column writing.
Hanania’s journalism and communications career is extensive. Hanania pens "Shades of Gray: Ray Hanania's World" comic strip which satirizes World and Middle East political events and issues. He is a political columnist for the Southwest News-Herald Newspaper in Chicago and a weekly columnist for the Jerusalem Post as well as PalestineNote.com. In Broadcast media, Hanania hosts the live radio talk show "Mornings with Ray Hanania" on WJJG 1530 AM Radio, Monday through Friday in Chicago from 8 until 9:30 am. He co-hosts the Arab focused "Radio Baladi" radio show simulcast in Chicago and Detroit every Friday at 7 am (Central) 8 am (Eastern) at www.RadioBaladi.com. Hanania hosts TV Chicagoland, which is broadcast on Comcast Cable TV Channel 19 every Friday night in 145 Chicagoland suburbs.
Hanania has authored eight books including the humor book "I'm Glad I look Like a Terrorist: Growing up Arab in America" (1996), and he is the contributor in seven books including “Foods of Chicago: A Delicious History” which features his Palestinian food recipes as well as experiences growing up Arab in America.
In addition to journalism, Hanania is also the Palestinian performer in two standup comedy troupes, the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour, which uses humor to help bridge the gap between Arabs and Israelis, and the Infidels of Comedy, an all Christian Arab comedy troupe.
