Umar Lee

Umar Lee (born Bret Darren Lee September 18, 1974 in St Louis, Missouri) is an American writer, media personality and political activist.[1]

Umar Lee
BornSeptember 18, 1974 (1974-09-18) (age 45)
St Louis, Missouri, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationUnemployed

Muslim blogging

In 2007, Lee's blog won the award for "best series" in the Brass Crescent Awards.[2] In 2017 Lee criticized the Georgetown Islamic Studies Professor Jonathan Brown after he attended his lecture on slavery.[3]

Activism, writing, podcasting and personal life

Lee, while working as a cab driver, campaigned against the introduction of ride-share companies to the St. Louis Market.[4][5] In 2014, Lee covered the Ferguson Unrest and was interviewed on several national outlets. During his coverage of the Ferguson unrest, Lee was arrested on two occasions [6] Lee was subsequently fired as a cab driver and contended that it was for his political activities in Ferguson.[7] In 2016 Lee briefly announced he was running for St. Louis Mayor as a Republican.[8] Lee also writes Noir Literature that is based in St Louis.[9]

Lee's mother was murdered on December 18, 2018 in Kirkwood, Missouri by unknown assailants who broke into her apartment and shot her.[10]

Lee’s nephew, Shelbyon Polk, was also found dead with gunshot wounds to his torso on Thanksgiving Day 2017 in St Louis [11]

Since June 2018, Lee hosted St Louis Speaks, a podcast that fosters dialog about St Louis and the surrounding area. The podcast was co-created and is produced by historian Mark Loehrer [12]

References
  1. "Umar Lee - The Nation".
  2. "The Thirteenth Annual Brass Crescent Awards".
  3. "Professor Uses Lecture to Defend Islamic Slavery".
  4. Lee, Umar (April 19, 2014). "Why Progressives Should Think Twice About Embracing Uber and Lyft".
  5. Pistor, Nicholas J.C. "St. Louis cab driver compares Lyft to Walmart, blasts 'hipsters'".
  6. http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/police-abuses-can-t-stand-scrutiny-of-social-media-live/article_dd486708-49d1-11e4-9734-8fedcbcd786a.html
  7. Holleman, Joe. "High-profile STL cabbie says he was fired for political stances".
  8. Holleman, Joe. "Protest figure Umar Lee withdraws from mayoral race".
  9. Post-Dispatch, Harry Levins Special to the. "'St. Louis Noir' isn't the sunny side of our city".
  10. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-killed-at-kirkwood-apartment-complex/article_55fedbc2-0a83-565a-9217-c5574f4f17ac.html
  11. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/police-release-ids-of-killed-in-st-louis-from-thanksgiving/article_d17e9a4e-dfab-5a9c-aa1c-63ff550e48cd.html
  12. https://www.stlmag.com/culture/umar-lee-on-his-new-podcast-st-louis-speaks/



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