Event kicks off Arab American history month
Samplings of baklava, joyful music and belly dance performers invited passersby to gather at Tommy Trojan for Thursday’s celebration of Arab American History Month. President Carol L. Folt spoke about the recognition of the Middle Eastern and North African Student Assembly, marking the first time students from these backgrounds were represented on an institutional level.
Representatives from MENASA first announced their desire for recognition as a student assembly within the Undergraduate Student Government in a Feb. 15 senate meeting. Senator Brian Stowe collaborated with other senators and MENASA representatives to accomplish full recognition for the assembly.
The official acknowledgement of the organization and the Arab presence on campus is an important step to Middle Eastern and North African students feeling seen, said Paul Rodriguez-Anter, president of the USC Lebanese Club and a senior majoring in international relations.
“Oftentimes, there’s not a place to mark that you’re Arab American, you have to mark that you’re white. When in reality, a lot of us are proud to be from our culture and don’t identify as white people,” Rodriguez-Anter said.
Organizers and attendees said that the diverse representation of Arabic students was an important part of the cultural celebration. The event showcased performers from many groups including the USC Lebanese Club, the Persian Student Organization and the Armenian Students’ Association.
“Our events are definitely for our Middle Eastern and North African students, but the line does not stop there,” said Nour Myra Geha, event coordinator at MENASA and a freshman majoring in international relations. “[By] sharing our experiences, sharing our heritage, sharing our culture, we’re sharing it with all of the students and we welcome everyone on campus to come and experience all of these things with us.”
Folt and professors gave speeches to attendees recognizing Middle Eastern and North African members of the community.
“Having the president of our University speaking at this event for representation for Middle Eastern and North African communities is a huge deal because I’ve seen her address other cultural groups … but I feel like I haven’t ever heard her like talk about specifically Middle Eastern and African representation,” said Marwa Alami, a freshman majoring in business administration.
Abdullah Muayad, a junior majoring in biology and the outreach leader of MENASA, invites members of the Middle Eastern and North African community to visit the MENASA lounge, located in Student Union 100, where he said a mix of different cultures underscores the beauty of the community. The MENASA culturally-affirming lounge opened in Fall 2021 within the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs to provide a physical space for identity expression.
“I just hope people get a sense of home,” said Stella Seppassipour, a junior majoring in political science. “A lot of people here are international students. So sometimes it’s difficult to adapt to American society and the mentality in the United States. So it’s like a bit of a relaxing place [where we] understand each other and it’s like home.”
Alami said MENASA “revamped” their organization this year and the additional University representation is a “huge deal” to her.
“Having baklava, a cultural desert, being handed out, and having our music being played like belly dancing in the beginning kind of validates it for me,” Alami said. “It’s really nice to see that you’re being seen on campus and you’re accepted here on campus and there’s other people from your community.”
Rodriguez-Anter said the individual Arabic and Middle Eastern clubs plan to collaborate to host additional events this month, including a beach bonfire and potluck.
“The hard truth is that the Middle Eastern and North African culture is represented in such a bad way [in the] media and in such a bad way [in the] news,” Geha said. “It’s shown as such an ugly part of the world but we’re here to tell them that no, we have so much love and peace in us. We have so much culture to share with you. We have so much to give to this campus.”