Arab American Law Student Association

The Arab American Law Student Association is a student organization concerned with uniting and serving the Arab American community. The organization seeks to give Arab American Students the opportunity to celebrate their identity. The goal of this organization is to provide opportunities and support minority law students on campus while educating the general student body about Arab American culture. The organization is committed to uplifting individuals from all cultural backgrounds while showcasing Arab American culture, thus adding to the diversity of the campus, as well as increasing Arab American representation throughout the legal community.

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    Solidarity Letter

    Answering a Call to Action:

    The Arab American Law Student Association is an apolitical group focused on serving minority communities and exposing Detroit Mercy Law to Arab American culture. In serving as an apolitical group, we have refrained from making statements in support of our own brothers and sisters, as well as other communities of color. However, we refuse to stay silent about the systematic oppression and the murders of Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement. As aspiring attorneys we inherently strive toward justice for all communities, regardless of race, class, religion, or sexual orientation. We therefore believe that this is not a political issue, but rather a humanitarian crisis that cannot be ignored. The Arab American Law Student Association condemns acts of violence toward Black people in America.

    Our call to action is George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Amadou Diallo, Ahmaud Arbery, Frank Smart, Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanly-Jones, Mya Hall, Tony McDade, Pamela Turner, Matthew Ajibade, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Shelly Frey, Ezell Ford, Dante Parker, Michelle Casseaux, Yvette Smith, Darnesha Harris, Salvado Ellswood, Laquan Mcdonald, Brian Keith Day, Michael Sabbie, Asshams Pharoah Manley, Felix Kumi, Keith Harrison McLeod, Junior Prosper, Anthony Ashford, Dominic Hutchinson, Paterson Brown, Lamontez Jones, Bettie Jones, Alonzo Smith, Atatiana Jefferson, George Mann, Tanisha Anderson, Akai Gurley, Rumain Brisbon, Jerame Reid, Natasha Mckenna, Tony Robinson, Anthony Hill, William Chapman II, Alberta Spruill, Walter Scott, Shantell Davis, Eric Harris, Philip White, Alexia Christian, Brendon Glenn, Victor Manuel Larosa, Jonathan Sanders, Joseph Mann, Freddie Blue, Albert Joseph Davis, Darrius Stewart, Billy Ray Davis, Samuel Dubose, Troy Robinson, Christian Taylor, Sean Bell, Tyree Crawford India Kager, Janet Wilson, Sylville Smith, Benni Lee Tignor, Yvonne Smallwood, Kayla Moore and all other individuals, known and unknown, caught on a cell phone camera or lost in the shadows, that have been murdered at the hands of a corrupt and unjust system.

    As minorities, and as law students, we believe it is our duty, to not only demand justice, but also work toward justice. During this time, we have educated ourselves on the oppression of Black people in this country, how we have benefited from their oppression, and what it means to be anti-racist. As Arab Americans, we have had our own taste of discrimination, but we will never know the systematic struggle Black Americans have had to endure in this country for centuries. After reading the Open Letter from Detroit Mercy Law’s Black Law Student Association, we felt a small increment of the pain our own Black classmates have to endure. This movement is not a trend. This movement is a promise to Black communities that we will do better. We must do better.

    The Arab American Law Student Association stands in solidarity with Black Americans in their fight for long overdue justice. We vow to actively work toward a system that values equality, justice, and love.

    We invite you to do this work with us. Some media you can consume to self-educate include, but are most certainly not limited to:

    Books

    1. White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin Diangelo
    2. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
    3. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
    4. How to be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
    5. Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis

    Film

    1. 13th
    2. Selma
    3. When They See Us
    4. Dear White People
    5. Fruitvale Station

    Podcasts

    1. Ear Hustle
    2. Code Switch
    3. Seeing White
    4. Intersectionality Matters with Kimberlé Crenshaw
    5. Pod for the Cause

    We also encourage you to donate to the following organizations, if it is within your means:

    1. COVID Bailout NYC
    2. Know Your Rights Camp
    3. Black Lives Matter
    4. Innocence Project
    5. Unicorn Riot
    May the current shock, anger, and sadness Americans are feeling today be turned into adequate reform tomorrow.

    Sincerely,
    The Arab American Law Student Association 2020-2021 Executive Board
    President: Fatmeh Cheaib
    Vice President: Nour Alaouie
    Treasurer: Hussien Hider
    Secretary: Juliana Gumma
    Director of Social Media: Azal Arabo
    Outreach Committee Co-Chairs: Narissa Ayoub and Stephanie Hana
    Scholarship Committee Chair: Nicole Miller
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