News

Duke Law School is home to a diverse community of students. Many of them come together in affinity groups to find support, enjoy shared holidays and traditions away from home, or just build friendships with others who share their perspectives and experiences.

The Middle Eastern and North African Law Students Association (MENALSA) is one of the newest affinity groups at the Law School. The group which represents students from Iran, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Syria, was started at the Law School in 2018 by Chris Sabbagh ’20 and Farrah Bara ’20 “to ensure that the MENA community felt represented and valued at Duke Law,” said President Neeki Memarzadeh ’23.

“We also provide a community for students who do not find themselves represented in other Duke groups. We have members from Armenia, Georgia, and Uzbekistan.”

Like other affinity groups, MENALSA hosts a variety of activities throughout the year for both group members and the larger student population.

In March, the group sponsored the Law School’s first-ever Nowruz celebration to mark the start of the Iranian New Year, also known as Persian New Year, which begins on the spring equinox. Nowruz is celebrated in many countries in the Middle East and Central Asia. Students invited Afghani refugee families in Durham to join the celebration.

In November, the group sponsored “Waging a Struggle for Human Rights: Project South’s Defend and Protect Initiative” with Azadeh Shahshahani, the legal and advocacy director for Project South: Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide. Shahshahani spoke to students about her human rights work as well as MENA representation in the law. Before her talk, she attended a small networking dinner with group members.

“The events and speakers that MENALSA hosts help promote a very important perspective for the benefit of both the MENA community and all of Duke Law,” Memarzadeh said. “MENALSA is so vital because it creates a community for Middle Eastern and North African students to feel comfortable and at home at the Law School, which in turn helps promote a culture of diversity and inclusion at Duke Law. MENALSA helps to promote issues that may be especially important to or impactful on MENA students.”

Nima Agah ’22, the 3L rep for MENALSA, said he joined the group during her first year because he wanted to be a part of the MENA community at Duke Law and “get to know other students who had similar backgrounds to me.”

Agah said he has participated in a large variety of activities sponsored by the group, including study breaks, mixers with other affinity groups, networking events, and resume and cover letter workshops.

“Being a member of MENALSA was key to my having a wonderful law school experience,” he said. “The people I met in this club truly helped me get through so many of the typical struggles that we associate with law school, like feelings of isolation and uncertainty. When I was a 1L, the members of the board of MENALSA became mentors and friends to me, each offering advice about recruiting, classes, and even just being welcoming and fun.”

MENALSA often partners with other student groups. In February, the group joined with the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Black Law Students Association, Latin American Law Students Association, South Asian Law Students Association, and Womxn of Color Collective to host a Duke Law Affinity Mixer for students to network and discuss diversity in the law.

“This type of partnership with the other affinity groups is so crucial because it can make small communities feel even more connected and comfortable at Duke,” Memarzadeh said.

Right now, there are only 25 students in the group, which makes it one of the smallest affinity groups at the Law School. Memarzadeh said one of the goals for the group is to grow its membership over time.

“In addition, we would like to expand MENALSA’s impact by coordinating pro bono opportunities connected to issues facing the MENA community for all students to get involved in,” she said. “Through our continuing work at MENALSA, we hope to establish a reputation at Duke Law for having a strong MENA community.”

One misconception people have about the group, Memarzadeh said, is that it is a religious group. MENALSA is “a cultural affinity organization. Our members span from nonreligious to Christian and Muslim.” She cited the group’s smaller size as another challenge for forming community but said the smaller size gives the members the opportunity to play a greater role in the organization and form closer connections.

“In addition, though there may not be established MENA groups at law firms or otherwise, MENA alumni are often incredibly eager to talk and connect with current students in the community,” she said.

Though the group may be small, it has made its mark.

“We have provided a home away from home for MENA students, and also raised awareness about MENA culture and issues to the Duke Law community,” Memarzadeh said. “The MENA community is often portrayed one-dimensionally in the mainstream news and academic discourse, and MENALSA has challenged these preconceived notions.”

Agah agreed. “MENALSA gave me space to be more of myself and around folks who understand and appreciate who I am.”

He said that affinity groups like MENALSA “are crucial for law schools (and many other institutions). It can be seriously daunting to enter a space where you feel like you are not represented, where people might not look or sound like you, or that even if people are welcoming, that they might not have the context to understand you in ways that are important to you.”

Maria Bajgain is a communications specialist at Duke Law School. Reach her at maria.bajgain@law.duke.edu.