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About
Linda Sarsour is a prominent Palestinian-American political activist, born on March 19, 1980, in Brooklyn, New York, to Palestinian immigrant parents. Raised in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood after her family moved from Crown Heights, she attended John Jay High School and entered an arranged marriage at a young age. Identifying as a Muslim and a 'pure New Yorker,' she has dedicated her career to advocacy for Arab American, Muslim, and Palestinian rights, as well as broader social justice issues including civil rights, women's rights, and criminal justice reform. She served as executive director of the Arab American Association of New York from 2005 to 2016 and is the co-founder and executive director of MPower Change, the first Muslim online organizing platform. Sarsour rose to national prominence as a co-chair of the 2017 Women's March on Washington, the 2017 Day Without a Woman, and the 2019 Women's March, earning recognition in Time magazine's 2017 '100 Most Influential People' list. Her activism, known for progressive Muslim and pro-Palestine advocacy, often involves criticism of Israel and anti-Muslim policies, leading to adversarial relationships with anti-Muslim groups. Sarsour has been a vocal critic of Islamophobia, police brutality, and U.S. foreign policy, while also writing and speaking on human rights. Despite facing controversies and accusations of antisemitism from critics, she continues to organize within progressive and Muslim communities, emphasizing intersectional feminism and solidarity across marginalized groups.