Middle Eastern North African Law Student Association

The Middle Eastern and North African Law Students Association (“MENALSA”) is a student group that strives to foster an empowering community for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) students at UCLA Law. The MENA identity is inclusive of individuals from diverse backgrounds, representing various ancestries, religions, ethnicities, and identities. MENALSA works to expand MENA representation and develop MENA leadership at UCLA Law and the legal community at large. MENALSA seeks to promote an understanding of MENA social, legal, and professional issues and to provide a forum for student mentorship by MENA legal professionals. MENALSA works toward these goals through collaboration with legal organizations and community leaders. MENALSA is committed to diversity, inclusion, and amplifying underrepresented voices on the UCLA campus. MENALSA is committed to pursuing social and racial justice, including combatting anti-Black racism in the MENA community, supporting Palestinian human rights, critically examining systems of oppression both in the US and abroad, and challenging the US-imperialist narrative. We do this by promoting dialogue, systemic reform, policy, and scholarship, in the MENA field at UCLA.

menalsa@lawnet.ucla.edu

Signatories: Pelin Ensari, Rania Salem, and Shayan Naraghi

Advisor: Kristopher Kaupalolo