Great Immigrant: Mo Amer
Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, Mo Amer is a stand-up comedian and award-winning writer who uses humor to capture the refugee experience. A new Carnegie-commissioned comic series highlights Amer’s story and the stories of other naturalized citizens who enrich American society and strengthen our democracy
By Jongsma + O’Neill & Chuan Ming Ong
Jul 21, 2025
When the Gulf War began in 1990, many of Mohammed (Mo) Amer’s international classmates in Kuwait had home countries they could safely flee to. But Amer’s parents, who were Palestinian, were not allowed to return to the country of their birth. Instead Amer, his mother, and two siblings sought asylum in the United States, settling in Houston, Texas. Nine years old at the time, Amer had to wait 20 years to become a naturalized citizen and obtain a passport — a situation he has turned into comedy.
Today, Amer is an award-winning writer and stand-up comedian whose semi-autobiographical Netflix series, Mo — about a Palestinian refugee seeking asylum while living in Texas — won a Peabody Award and was named one of the best shows of 2022 by The New York Times and New York magazine.
Amer’s work promotes understanding between cultures. “I like ‘salad bowl’ better than ‘melting pot,’” he says. “Everybody loses their own identity in the melting pot. In a salad bowl, everything retains its original flavor.”
Every Fourth of July, Carnegie Corporation of New York celebrates the exemplary contributions of immigrants to American life, as part of its focus on reducing political polarization and strengthening democracy. To highlight their stories, the foundation has commissioned a new comic series that illustrates how naturalized citizens enrich American society.
Download Mo Amer’s full comic here.
* As of December 2024, 1.4 million asylum applications were under review by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (Source: Asylum in the United States, American Immigration Council, 2025)
Eline Jongsma and Kel O’Neill lead Jongsma + O’Neill, a nonfiction storytelling studio. They are Sundance fellows, Emmy nominees, and the creators of the immersive exhibition Loot. 10 Stories, which won the 2024 XR-History Award.
Chuan Ming Ong is a Dutch illustrator whose illustrations have appeared in publications including The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, and Nikkei Asia.
