I got 99 problems... palsy is just one | Maysoon Zayid

Translator: Jamal Omar Reviewer: Abdiwahab Osman

Hallow, HablahaTED, maxaa cusub.

Hello, TEDWomen, what's up.

(Cheering)

(Shifo)

Not good enough.

Maigu filno halahaas.

Hello, TEDWomen, what is up?

Hallow, HablahaTED, maxaa cusub?

(Loud cheering)

(Shifo)

My name is Maysoon Zayid,

Magacayga waa Maysoon Zayid,

mana cabsani,

and I am not drunk,

but the doctor who delivered me was.

laakin dhaqtarkii i dhaliyay ayaa cabsanaay.

He cut my mom six different times

Lix mar oo kala duwan ayuu hooyadeey qalay

in six different directions,

lix jiho oo kala duwan ayuuna u qalay,

suffocating poor little me in the process.

wuxana qaliinkaas ku caburiyay inantaan yari aniga ah.

As a result, I have cerebral palsy,

natiijadasna, waxana qabaa gargariir ,

which means I shake all the time.

macanaha marwalbo waan gargariiraa.

Look.

Fiiri.

It's exhausting.

waa mid lagudaalo. Shakiira oo kale ayaan ahay, Shakira

I'm like Shakira, Shakira meets Muhammad Ali.

oo lakulmeysa Muhammad Ali.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

CP is not genetic.

gargariirku ma ahan fir.

It's not a birth defect. You can't catch it.

ma ahan cilad dhalasho. Ma qaban kartid.

No one put a curse on my mother's uterus,

qofna inkaar ma dhigin ilma-galeenka hooyadey,

and I didn't get it because my parents are first cousins,

maha helin maxa yelay waalidkeeyga waa llma-adeeradii ugu horeeyay

which they are.

taas oo ayba yihiin.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

It only happens from accidents,

Shilal ayee uun ka imaadaan,

like what happened to me on my birth day.

sida aniga igu dhacday maalintii dhalashadeyda.

Now, I must warn you,

Hada, waan idiin digayaa, dhiira-geliye ma ihi,

I'm not inspirational.

(Laughter)

And I don't want anyone in this room to feel bad for me,

mana rabo qof kujiro qolkaan

inuu xumaan ii dareemo,

because at some point in your life,

maxaa yelay waqti kamid ah noloshada,

you have dreamt of being disabled.

inaad ku riyootay cuuryaan-nimo.

Come on a journey with me.

Kaalay safar aan isku raacnee.

It's Christmas Eve, you're at the mall,

waa ciida masiixiga, waxad joogta suuqa,

geesba gees ayaa garigaga u wareejinesa adoo raadianayo paakin.

you're driving around in circles looking for parking,

and what do you see?

maxaadna aragtaa?

Sixteen empty handicapped spaces.

16 meelood oo faaruq ah misna loogu talagaly cuuryaaniinta

(Laughter)

waxaadna is dhahaysaa,'' Allah, miyaan kaliya noqon karaa

And you're like, "God, can't I just be a little disabled?"

waxyar oo cuuryaan ah? ''

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Also, I've got to tell you,

Sidoo kale, waxaan idiin shegaya,

99 dhib ayaa iheesta, gar-gariirna waa mid kaliya.

I've got 99 problems, and palsy is just one.

(Laughter)

If there was an Oppression Olympics,

haday jiri laheed tartan dulmiyeed ama cadaadis leh,

I would win the gold medal.

waxaan ku guuleesan lahay abaalmarinta dahabka.

I'm Palestinian, Muslim,

waxan ahay dumar, falastiiniyad, muslimad ah misna jiis ah,

I'm female, I'm disabled,

and I live in New Jersey.

New Jersey ayaana ku noolahay.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)(Sacbis)

(Applause)

If you don't feel better about yourself, maybe you should.

hadaadan samaan ka dareemeenin noloshaada, hadaba hada ka dareem,

(Laughter)

Cliffside Park, New Jersey is my hometown.

Cliffside Park, New Jersey weeye xaafadayda.

I have always loved the fact

waligayba waan jeclaay xaqiiqdii

that my hood and my affliction share the same initials.

inay xaafadayda iyo dhibaatada jiradayda

ay wadaagaan isku xarfo.

I also love the fact

waxan kaloo jeclahay xaqiiqdii inaan rabay inaan socdo

that if I wanted to walk from my house to New York City, I could.

inata u dhaxeeso gurigayga ilaa casimamada New York, waan awooday.

A lot of people with CP don't walk,

dad badan oo qabaan gargariirku masocodaan,

but my parents didn't believe in "can't."

waalidkayga meeysan aaminin inaan ''Awoodin''

My father's mantra was,

Ducada aabahey ayaa aheyd,

"You can do it, yes you can can."

''Waad awooda, haa waad awooda.''

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Marka, seddax abaayo igaga waaweyn aay guurguuranayeen,w

So, if my three older sisters were mopping,

I was mopping.

aan guurguuranayay anina.

If my three older sisters went to public school,

hadey aadeen xitaa iskuulaadka shacabka,

waalidiinteyda waxay dacweyn jireen qaabka iskuulka

my parents would sue the school system

and guarantee that I went too,

misna waxay hubaal ka dhigeen inaan aado iskulka ,

and if we didn't all get A's,

misna hadaan anagoo dhan 'A' yaal aanan helin,

we all got my mother's slipper.

mamada dacaskeeda eenagu tumi jirtay.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Aabahey ayaa i baray sida loo socdo markaan 5-jir ahay

My father taught me how to walk when I was five years old

asigoo cirbahayga dul saarayo lugahiisa

by placing my heels on his feet

and just walking.

misna soconayo.

Another tactic that he used

Qorsho kale uu isticmaali jiray aya ahay, wuxuu soo raaricin jiray

is he would dangle a dollar bill in front of me

horteytda 1 dollar misna waan bursan jiray.

and have me chase it.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Qaawnaanteyda waxay ahay mid xoog badan, iyo----

My inner stripper was very strong.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Yeah.

Haa. Maya, maalintii ugu horeysay ee iskuulka,

No, by the first day of kindergarten,

I was walking like a champ

waxaan usocday sidii horyaal

kaaso dhoor mar lasoo feeray.

who had been punched one too many times.

(Laughter)

Growing up, there were only six Arabs in my town,

Soo koritaankayga, 6 carab ah ayaa magaaladeena joogtay,

and they were all my family.

kuligoodna qoyskeeyga ayee ahaayeen.

(Laughter)

Now there are 20 Arabs in town,

hada 20 carab ah ayaa magaalada joogaan,

and they are still all my family.

welina kuli waa qoyskeeyga. (Qosol)

(Laughter)

I don't think anyone even noticed we weren't Italian.

ma umaleeyo qof inuu ogaaday xitaa inaanan aheyn Talyaani.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)(Sacbis)

(Applause)

This was before 9/11

Tani waxay aheey horaantii 9/11 hadana siyaasiyiinta

and before politicians thought it was appropriate

waxay ku fekereen inay banaan tahay in la isticmaalo '' Waan necbahay Muslimiinta''

to use "I hate Muslims" as a campaign slogan.

Oraah doorasho ahaaneed.

Dadkii aan lasoo koray wax dhibaato ah kuma aysan qabi caqiidadayda.

The people that I grew up with had no problem with my faith.

They did, however, seem very concerned

Waxay umuuqdeen kuwa ay aad u quseeyso , si ahaan

that I would starve to death during Ramadan.

inaan baahi u dhimanayo waqtiga Ramadaanka.

I would explain to them that I have enough fat

waxaan u sharixi jiray inaan heesto jir igu filan

to live off of for three whole months,

si aan ugu noolaado seddax bilood,

so fasting from sunrise to sunset is a piece of cake.

marka soon inta u dhaxeyso qorax soobax iyo qorax dhac waxay ila ahay sida jab doolsho ah.

(Laughter)

I have tap-danced on Broadway.

Wadada cad ayan jees ku dheeli jiray.

Yeah, on Broadway. It's crazy.

Haa, wadada cad . Waa jinoolinimo. (Sacbis)

(Applause)

My parents couldn't afford physical therapy,

Waalidiinteeyda meeysan awoodin inay jjirkeyda daaweeyan,

so they sent me to dancing school.

marka waxay ii direen iskuul dheel (jees)

I learned how to dance in heels,

waxan bartay sida kabaha cirbaha loogu dheelo

which means I can walk in heels.

taaso la macno ah inaan kusocon karo kabahas.

Waxaana ka imaada New Jersey,

And I'm from Jersey,

and we are really concerned with being chic,

waxaan aad ula soconaa moodalada sare,

marka hadeey saaxiibadeyxa xirtaan kabahaas dhaadheer, anigana waan xiranayay.

so if my friends wore heels, so did I.

And when my friends went and spent their summer vacations

markay saaxiibadayda u baxaan fasax

on the Jersey Shore, I did not.

xeebta Jersey, anigana maanan raaci jirin.

I spent my summers in a war zone,

waxaan kuqaatay waqtigayga fasaxa goob dagaal

because my parents were afraid

maxaa yeelay waalidintayda waxay ka cabsanayeen

that if we didn't go back to Palestine every single summer,

hadii aanan kunoqon falastin

Xagay walabo,

we'd grow up to be Madonna.

waxaan uweynaaneenay inan Madonna( Heesay magaceed) noqono

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Summer vacations often consisted of my father trying to heal me,

Fasaxyada xagaaga intiisa badan way iskuxirnayeen

Aabahayga waxoo isku dayay inuu i bogsiiyo

sida darteet waxaan cabay caano deer

so I drank deer's milk,

I had hot cups on my back,

dhoor galaas oo caano kulul ah ayaa heestay,

I was dunked in the Dead Sea,

waxaan madaxa lii galshay bada halista ah,

and I remember the water burning my eyes

waxaan xasuusta inay biyaha indhaha iga gubayeen

and thinking, "It's working! It's working!"

waxaane is dhahay, "weey shaqayneysaa! weey shaqayneysaa"

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

But one miracle cure we did find was yoga.

laakin halka mucjiso daaweyn ansameynay waxay ahayd yoga

I have to tell you, it's very boring,

waa inan kusheega , aad bay ucaajis badantahay,

but before I did yoga,

laaking inta anan yogada an sameyn kahor waxay ahayd

I was a stand-up comedian who can't stand up.

waxaan ahay majaajileste-istaageed anan istaagi karin

And now I can stand on my head.

hadane waxaan kujoogsan karaa madaxa.

My parents reinforced this notion

Waalidintayda waxaa lagu adkeeyay fikradan ahi

that I could do anything,

inan waxkasta an sameen karo,

that no dream was impossible,

Taas oo aysan jirin riyo an surtogal ahayn

and my dream was to be

Riyadaydane waxay ahayd

on the daytime soap opera "General Hospital."

inta lagu gudojiro maalinti soap opera "isbitalka cudurada guud"

(Laughter)

waxaan aday kuliyad inta lagu guda jiray soocitanka

I went to college during affirmative action

and got a sweet scholarship to ASU,

aana kahelay waxbarasho lacag la'an ah oo macaan ee ASU,

Arizona State University,

Jaamacada Arizona,

because I fit every single quota.

maxaa yeelay waxaan buxshay cadadka tiro laogolay

(Laughter)

Waxan ahaay qof aad loo xanaaneeyo.

I was like the pet lemur of the theater department.

Everybody loved me.

Qof walbo ayaa i jeclaay.

I did all the less-than-intelligent kids' homework,

waxaan sameeyay dhamaan caruurta an caqliyeysan cashiradooda dhan,

I got A's in all of my classes,

waxaana kahelay "A" dhamaan fasalladayda,

A's in all of their classes.

"A" dhaman fasaladooda.

(Laughter)

waqti kasta oo aan sameeya dagaal

Every time I did a scene from "The Glass Menagerie,"

kabilaaw "Fasalka maamulaha"

my professors would weep.

Profeesaradeeyda way ooyi jidheen.

But I never got cast.

laakin waligay lima burin .

Finally, my senior year,

Ugu dambeyntii, sanadkeeyki heerka sare,

ASU decided to do a show called "They Dance Real Slow in Jackson."

"ASU" ayaa go'aansantay inay qabtaan show la dhaho

"Waxay magalada Jackson ugu cayaaran si dagan".

It's a play about a girl with CP.

waa cayaar kusabsan gabar qabto cudurka Gargariirka.

I was a girl with CP.

waxaane ahay gabar qabta "C.P"

So I start shouting from the rooftops,

Marka waxaan u qeeylinayay si sare,

"I'm finally going to get a part!

"Ugu dambeeyntii waan ka qayb qaadanayaa!

I have cerebral palsy!

waxaan qabaa cudurlka gargariirka!

Free at last! Free at last!

Xor ayaan ahay! Xor ayaan ahay!

Thank God almighty, I'm free at last!"

Mahad eeba ayaa leh , waxan ahay xor ugu dambeyntii!"

I didn't get the part.

Ma aanan helin qaybta. (Qosol)

(Laughter)

Sherry Brown got the part.

Sherry brown aya heshay qaybti.

Waxan aaday madaxa waxda tiyatarka

I went racing to the head of the theater department

crying hysterically, like someone shot my cat,

anigoo u oynaya , sidii qof in bisadayda dilay oo kale,

sian uwaydiiyo sababta,

to ask her why,

and she said it was because they didn't think I could do the stunts.

waxayna itiri waxay ahayd maxayeelay

maynan umaleyneenin in aan sameen karo ciyarta halista ah.

I said, "Excuse me, if I can't do the stunts,

waxaan dhahay "Igaraali noqo, hadii anan sameen karin ciyaarta halista ah,

neither can the character."

midkeene masameenkaro Jilida."

(Laughter)

(Qosol) (Sacbis)

(Applause)

This was a part that I was literally born to play

Tani waxay ahayd qayb an kuudhashtay inan cayaaro

they gave it to a non-palsy actress.

waxayna siiyeen, waxay siiyen qof anan laleemo qabin

kuliyada waxay ahayd mid laisku daydo,

College was imitating life.

Hollywood has a sordid history

Hollywood-ka waxay leedahay taariikh aana daacad aheen

of casting able-bodied actors to play disabled onscreen.

Taaso Aktarada jirkooda caadi ahi

in ay shaashadu ku matalaan kuwa jiisiin ah.

Upon graduating, I moved back home,

markan kaqalin jabshay, waxaan dib ugu guuray magaladayda

and my first acting gig was as an extra on a daytime soap opera.

Jilitaankeygii ugu horeeyay ee shactaroola-nimada waxay ahayd

shaqo dheerad ah oo maalintii aan u shaqeeyo taleefishan.

My dream was coming true.

Riyadeyda ayaa ii rumoobeysay.

And I knew that I would be promoted

waane ogaay in la i dalacsiin doono

from "Diner Diner" to "Wacky Best Friend" in no time.

kasoo bilaaw "maqyad kacunteen cunteen " ilaa aan kanoqodo "saaxibka ugu wanaagsan"

(Laughter)

But instead, I remained a glorified piece of furniture

laakin badalka, waxaan kusii baaqi ahaaday in siqaaliyeyo qeeb kamid ah agabyada

that you could only recognize from the back of my head,

taas ooka liyah adka garan karto karto madaxayga qeebtisa dambe,

and it became clear to me

waxaana xaqiiqsaday

that casting directors

xulayaasha jilaayasha

didn't hire fluffy, ethnic, disabled actors.

Aysan marnaba hool galin karin Aktarada jiisaska ahi.

They only hired perfect people.

waxay kaliyah hool galiyeen dad dhameestiran.

But there were exceptions to the rule.

laakin waxaan ahayn kuwo kareeban sharciyada

I grew up watching Whoopi Goldberg,

waxaan kusoowaynaaday fiirsashada Whoopi Goldberg,

Roseanne Barr, Ellen,

Roseanne Bar, Ellen (waa magacyo naageed)

and all of these women had one thing in common:

naagahaas oo dhan hal sheey ayee wada jir ka ahaayeen :

they were comedians.

waxay dhamaantooda ahaayeen majaajiliistayaal.

So I became a comic.

Markan aniguna waxan noqday majaajiliiste.

(Laughter)

(Qosol) (Sacab)

(Applause)

My first gig was driving famous comics

Majaajiladayda ugu horaysay, waxaan waday majaajiliistayaal kale

from New York City to shows in New Jersey,

kasoo bilaaw New York ilaa laga gaaro show lagu qabanayay New Jersey

and I'll never forget the face of the first comic I ever drove

marnaba mahilmaayo wejiga majaajiliistihii ugu horeeyay

aan wado markuu ogaaday

when he realized that he was speeding down the New Jersey Turnpike

inu wadada ku ku taalo New Jersey ay kula xawaareyneysay

with a chick with CP driving him.

misna ay waday gabar qabto cudurka gar gariirrka ama laleemo.

(Laughter)

I've performed in clubs all over America,

Bandhigyo badan ayaan Mareekanka ka qabtay,

and I've also performed in Arabic in the Middle East,

sidoo kale Arabta bariga dhexe,

uncensored and uncovered.

anigoo aana is qarineeynin ama lii barareenin.

(Laughter)

Some people say I'm the first stand-up comic in the Arab world.

Dadka qaar ayaa dhaho waxaan ahay majaajiliistihii

ugu horeeyay ee dunida carabta.

I never like to claim first,

majeclaan inaa sheegto booskas ugu horenta ahi,

but I do know that they never heard

laakin waxaan ogahay ineesa waligood maqlin

that nasty little rumor that women aren't funny,

in dumar aysan noqon karin qof dadka ka qosliyo,

and they find us hysterical.

waxayna noo heestaan kaliya inaanan is celin karin xaga dabeecada.

(Laughter)

In 2003, my brother from another mother and father

2003-dii, walaalkeyga ay dhaleen hooyo iyo aabe kale

Dean Obeidallah and I started

Dean Obeidallah iyo aniga, waxaan bilaawnay

the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival,

damaashad majaajilo ee Carabta-Amarikanka ahi ee kusugana New York ,

now in its 10th year.

hada waa sanadii 10-aad.

Hadafkeeni wuxuu ahaa inaan badalno sawirka qaldan

Our goal was to change the negative image of Arab-Americans in media,

ay Carabta-Amerikan ahi ay ka heestaan saxaafada,

while also reminding casting directors

anigoo misna xasuusinayo agaasimaha jilalaayasha

that South Asian and Arab are not synonymous.

in dadka koonfurta Asia iyo Carab-taba ay isku mid aheen.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Mainstreaming Arabs was much, much easier

Guud ahaan Carabtu waxay ahaayen, kuwa aad ugu fudud

inay qabsadaan xujada

than conquering the challenge against the stigma against disability.

lagaga soo horjeedo dhaleeceenta cuuryaanimada.

My big break came in 2010.

Fasaxayga dheeray wuxuu imaaday 2010-kii dhexdiis.

I was invited to be a guest on the cable news show

waxaa liigu casuumay inaa marti ka noqdo

show la dhaho

"Countdown with Keith Olbermann."

"waqti xiisa ah la qaado Keith Olbermann."

I walked in looking like I was going to the prom,

gudaha ayaan u sii socday sidii anoo u socdo damaashaad qalin jebin iskuul

and they shuffle me into a studio

Gudaha istuudiyahay ayee si daganaan ah ii galiyeen

and seat me on a spinning, rolling chair.

iguna fadhiisiyeen kursi war-wareeganayo .

(Laughter)

Waxaan fiiiriyay maamulaha masraxa oo an ku dhahay,

So I looked at the stage manager

and I'm like, "Excuse me, can I have another chair?"

"Iga raali noqo, kursi kale maheli karaa?"

And she looked at me and she went,

Way i fiirisay misna way iga dhaqaaqday,

"Shan,Afar,Seddax,Labo...!

"Five, four, three, two ..."

And we were live, right?

Misna waxaan aheen toos, haye?

So I had to grip onto the anchor's desk

Marka Mikroofanka ku dhagan miiska ayaan qabsaday

so that I wouldn't roll off the screen during the segment,

si aanan shaashada uga dhicin markii aan is badaleeyno

and when the interview was over, I was livid.

markii uu wareeysigii dhamaaday, aad baan u xanaaqay.

I had finally gotten my chance and I blew it,

jaaniskeeyga ayaan helay ugu dambeyn waana iska qasaariyay,

and I knew I would never get invited back.

waxaana ogaay inaanan mar dambe la igu marti qaadi doonin.

But not only did Mr. Olbermann invite me back,

Laakin Mr. Olbermann muusan kaliya imarti qaadin markale,

he made me a full-time contributor,

ee wuxuu iga dhigay shaqaale joogto ah,

and he taped down my chair.

Kursigaygana dhulka ayuu ku dhajiyay.

(Laughter)

(Laughter)(Sacbis)

(Applause)

One fun fact I learned while on the air with Keith Olbermann

Hal xaqiiq oo aan bartay markii aan la joogay

Keith Olbermann

was that humans on the Internet are scumbags.

ayaa waxay ahey in dadka interneetka isticmaalo ay yihiin dad aad u xun.

(Laughter)

Dadku waxay dhahaan caruurtu waa xaasidiin,

People say children are cruel,

laakin waligeyga liiguma shactireesan yaraanteyda iyo weeynaanteydaba.

but I was never made fun of as a child or an adult.

Suddenly, my disability on the world wide web is fair game.

SI lama filaan ah, jiisnimadayda dhanka shabakada waa mid ciyaar daacad ah

I would look at clips online and see comments like,

waxaan fiiriyaa vidiiyow-yaasha tooska ahi

waxaana arkaa qoraalo ah sida,

"Yo, why's she tweakin'?"

"Waar, maxay isku mar-maroojineeysaa?"

"Yo, is she retarded?"

"Waar, miyeey caqli dhimantahay?"

And my favorite, "Poor Gumby-mouth terrorist.

Iyo mida igu xiisaha badan, "Argagaxisadaan faqiirta ah ee afka-dheer.

What does she suffer from?

Maxay ka dhibtooneysa?

We should really pray for her."

Xaqiiqdii waa inaan u duceeynaa."

One commenter even suggested that I add my disability to my credits:

Mid ayaa xitaa qorayay

inaan jiisnimadayda ku daro kaararkeyga:

screenwriter, comedian, palsy.

qoraalada filimaanta, majaajiladayda, laleemada.

Cuuryaan-nimadu waa wax la arki karo sida tartanka.

Disability is as visual as race.

hadii jiiska kursiga kusocdo aysan ika dhigi karin Beyoncé,

If a wheelchair user can't play Beyoncé,

then Beyoncé can't play a wheelchair user.

marka Beyoncé-na iskama dhigi karto jiis kursi kusocdo.

The disabled are the largest —

Cuuryaanku waa mida ugu weyn----

Yeah, clap for that, man. Come on.

Haa, usacbiya dee midaas .sameeya.

(Applause)

(Sacbis)

People with disabilities are the largest minority in the world,

Dadka cuuryaan-nimadu ay haleeshay waa kuwa ugu baaxada weyn ee ugu yar

ee aduunka joogo, waxaana nahay dadka ugu badan ee matalo

and we are the most underrepresented in entertainment.

dhanka madadaalada.

Dhaqaatiirta waxay igu dhaheen inaanan socon doonin,

The doctors said that I wouldn't walk,

but I am here in front of you.

laakin waa ikanaa anigaan hortiina joogo.

Siwalbaba, hadii aan la weeynaaday aalada warbaahinta bulshada,

However, if I grew up with social media,

I don't think I would be.

ma umaleeynayo inaan noqon doono.

I hope that together,

waxaan rajeynayaa inaan si wada jir ah

we can create more positive images

aan u abuuri karno wejiyo wanaagsan

of disability in the media and in everyday life.

dhanka warbaahinta ee cuuryaanimada iyo dhanka molosha maalin walbo

Perhaps if there were more positive images,

Hubaal ahaantii hadii ay jiri laheed sawiro wanaagsan,

it would foster less hate on the Internet.

waxay si yar ukobcin laheed naceebka aalada interneetka.

ama maba jiri laheen naceeb.

Or maybe not.

Maybe it still takes a village to teach our children well.

waxa macquul ah in weli aay qaadaneyso waqti badan

inaa barno caruurteena samaanta.

My crooked journey has taken me to some very spectacular places.

Safarkeeyga khaa'inka ahi ayaa wuxuu i waday

meelo aad u qurux badan.

I got to walk the red carpet

waxaan ku socoday rooga cas.

flanked by soap diva Susan Lucci

Geesaha iyagoo iga joogaan heesayda quruxleeyda Susan Lucci

and the iconic Loreen Arbus.

iyo qofta xushmada mudan ee Lorraine Arbus.

I got to act in a movie with Adam Sandler

waxaan kaloo flim la jilay Adam Sandler

and work with my idol, the amazing Dave Matthews.

waxaan kaloo la shaqeeyay qofkaa aan adka ula daba dhaco

Dave Matthews.

I toured the world as a headliner on Arabs Gone Wild.

Aduunka ayaan safar kusoo maray si qodobada ugu doorka roon ahi

anigoo lii dhahaayo Carabtu bahalooween.

I was a delegate representing the great state of New Jersey

waxaa lii doortay inaan u hadlo

anigoo matalaayo qaranka sare ee New Jersey

at the 2008 DNC.

ee Ururka Qaramada Demoqraadiga ee 2008-kii .

And I founded Maysoon's Kids,

Waxaan sammeeyay xarun caruureed oo la dhaho ( Maysoon's Kids,)

a charity that hopes to give Palestinian refugee children

Urur caawimaad oo rajeyneeyso

inaay siiso caruurta masaakiinta ah ee ku jiro xarumaha qaxootiga Falastiin

Jab yar oo jaaniskii waalidkeyga isiiyeen ah.

a sliver of the chance my parents gave me.

But the one moment that stands out the most

Laakin marka kaliya ee aan aadka ula dhacay ugu badnaan

was when I got -- before this moment --

waa markii aan helay---markaan kahor--

(Laughter)

(Qosol)(Sacbis)--

(Applause)

But the one moment that stands out the most

laakin marka kaliya aan aadka ula dhacay ugu badnaan

was when I got to perform

waa marka kaliya aan ka ag jilay

ninka usabeeyo sida balanbaalista

for the man who floats like a butterfly

and stings like a bee,

misna qaniina sida shinida,

has Parkinson's and shakes just like me,

misna qaba cudurka Laleemada hada ujareeya sideeyda oo kale,

Muhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali.

(Applause)

(Sacbis)

(Applause ends)

It was the only time that my father ever saw me perform live,

waxaay ahay waqtiga kaliya

uu aabahayga i arkay anoo si toos ah u jilaayo

waxaana hadalkaan u hibeeynayaa qalbigiisa

and I dedicate this talk to his memory.

(Arabic) Allah yerhamak yaba.

(Allah kuu naxariisto aabe)

(English) My name is Maysoon Zayid,

Magacayga waa Maysoon Zayid,

and if I can can, you can can.

Hadii aan aniga awoodo , adigana waad awoodaa.

(Cheering)

(Sacbis)

(Applause)