Shems magazine recently interviewed Kathy Najimy, a Lebanese actress and one of the talented voices behind the popular cartoon “King of the Hill.”

Shems: Kathy, where did you grow up?

I was born in San Diego. Both of my parents are Lebanese. My mom was actually born in Alay near Beirut and my dad was born in Massachusetts but both of his parents were originally from Lebanon. My mom came to the States when she was 18 or 19. She met my dad in Massachusetts and they moved to San Diego where I grew up with four brothers and sisters.

Shems: Did you grow up speaking Arabic at home?

No, although I wish I had. My mom spoke to her aunt and brothers in Arabic but we never learned. We only know food and curse words.

Shems: What attracted you to acting? Was it a childhood passion?

Yes. I had tiny little experiences in elementary school doing poems in front of the PTA. When I was in the sixth grade, I actually wrote, directed and starred in a play. I didn’t have a lot of luck getting into school plays in junior high and high school so I started doing this alternative, reciprocal drama club with kids from other schools. We would do nights of improv, characters, singing, lip-synching and dancing. We always found ways to be creative and it actually was a great training ground for what I was later to do, which is, to create my own things and be funny. So, in a way, it’s a blessing that I didn’t get cast as the lead in the school play because it forced me to discover other creative outlets.

Shems: How conscious were you of being Lebanese while you were growing up?

Well, growing up Lebanese was something really interesting to me and something I am trying to carry on with my daughter. I always saw it as point of pride. I knew that Lebanese people have a great culture. It was all something that I was brought up to be very proud of.

Shems: Was racism ever an issue?

I was really not aware of the racism that was running through the country then, which wasn’t nearly as powerful as it is now, but it still existed. I have always been proud of identifying myself as Lebanese. People would be surprised when I would tell them that I am Lebanese, full blood Lebanese.

Shems: How ‘Lebanese’ is your daughter?

It is something that we had committed to doing. We have “Lebanese Day” every year at her school for the past five years. Each year my mom comes to the school and brings ingredients. All the kids get to make either hummus or tabouli and eat it. After that, she writes all their names in Arabic on tags and they get to take them home. She brings a dress from Lebanon and tells her story about coming over on the boat. She answers questions about Lebanon and shows where it is on the globe. It is very exciting for my daughter, and does develop a great sense of pride for her to know. Even though she is half Irish, she gets fed information about Irish culture and history all the time but what she doesn’t hear about is Arabic culture and the story of Palestine, Lebanon, the food, the flag, and the songs. It is just something I am committed to doing because my daughter is growing up in LA, away from most of our family and she doesn’t have cousins. We go to San Diego, to my mom’s house a lot, so she is around it there but I am dedicated to trying to provide as rich a foundation as I had.

Shems: You mentioned that racism was less of a problem years ago, would you elaborate?

Certainly. I think there was a lack of Arabic culture in education. I remember coming home in fourth and fifth grade feeling uneasy. I would tell my Mom how we were learning about the Holocaust. We were learning about wars and real tragedies but nobody was talking about the Middle East. Nobody was talking about, at least, the Arab countries and their tragedies, their pain, their victories, their history and their triumphs. There should be information and media not just for kids but for everyone in this country. People should know about the true history of Lebanon and other Arabic countries. That part of my education I found lacking. There just wasn’t anything that we were learning about, except at home, and then, in the 80’s, people would tell me to “go home,” thinking that I was Iranian. It was so hurtful. Now it has just boiled down to one really harmful, dangerous stereotype. These days not only is no information coming in but what does come through is so biased and so racist that I am worried for the time when my daughter reaches an age of a sort of global consciousness and sees how much hatred and fear and racism there is.

Shems: Let’s talk about your activism.

Of course! I am a feminist. I have been a feminist since I was about 12 years old. I majored in theater and minored in women’s studies in college. I was in a feminist theater collective in college and I pretty much became a radical feminist. Underneath feminism comes equality, respect, opportunity, anti-racism, rights for gays and lesbians, AIDS awareness, choice, animal rights… It includes anything that has to do with equality, justice, and respect. So, when you see a list of organizations that I am involved in, it seems like a lot of diverse issues, but they all fall under the umbrella of feminism.

Shems: Do you have any current projects that people might want to learn more about or get more involved in?

I think on my website I have some of my speeches posted. www.kathynajimy.com

Shems: Congratulations on being named “Woman of the Year 2004” by Ms. Magazine!

Thank you. It was really cool. I encourage people to find something that they are passionate about and jump in and not feel guilty about not giving one hundred percent of their time. Whatever we do today is more than we were doing yesterday and every little bit counts. Every tiny bit of money, every few minutes of volunteering really matters. You don’t have to change your whole life and join the Peace Corps to make a difference—although you could if you wanted to—but I just feel like people get overwhelmed and think that they have to be perfect. You just do your part as much as you can. I know that volunteering gives my life a lot of value.

Shems: You’ve done Broadway, comedy, and even voices for a cartoon series. What projects have you enjoyed most?

That is a good question. It is hard to say what venue I enjoyed most. If it is a great play with a really good script and a great director and a good actress to work with, then that’s what I like. You can do a bad play or you can do a great movie. There are a hundred really hideous movies you can have a chance to do or a TV show that means a lot to you. I enjoy being part of King of the Hill. We are going into our tenth season now. The folks behind it are very cooperative. They respect my point of view. They are nice and the other actors are really great. The writing is consistently good, funny, and respectful. It is such a great time; no hair, no makeup, no line memorizing! It is just a great gig.

I just did a show on Broadway called Dirty Blonde, where I played Mae West. I played Mae at seventeen, thirty-five, sixty, and eighty-five years old. James Lapine was the director and that was just fantastic. I have also done a whole handful of movies. Acting is depends on whether you are lucky and blessed enough to be given some good work and a good story.

Shems: Do you have any parting words for the Arab American community?

Personally I would like to thank the Arab-American community because they have been extremely supportive—both politically and in my career. I hope people everywhere remember the importance of speaking up and being proud. We need to put faces to names and voices to faces. We need to raise our voices and be proud of who we are, where we came from, and what our cultures are like. I realize that it is a challenge and a journey for other celebrities, especially in this racially charged time, to speak up and be proud of their ancestors, their nationality, and their history but it is all we have. Things are so skewed and so hurtful, especially right now. Whenever I can, I try to mention that I am Lebanese. In fact, when I did “Veronica’s Closet,” they made my character Lebanese. It was one of the first female characters on TV, that ever identified herself as Lebanese. Some small details were put in the script. For example, when Veronica came to my house I had hummus and pita bread. Of course, the show wasn’t about my heritage and it wasn’t a show about racism but just these little bits were helpful. We are Arab more than anything, and we want to look toward our celebrities with some pride. If more Arabic people in high profile positions talk about how proud they are of their heritage it would help, especially for the kids.