Partners in Justice: The Origin Story of a MENA Cultural Center

• In Event: Shaking the Table: Centering the Voices of Identity Center Practitioners

Abstract

This chapter, written in the form of a personal testimonio (Delgado Bernal et al., 2012), explores the author’s experience assisting in the establishment of the first Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Cultural Center at a four-year public university in California. Drawing on over two decades of experience in multicultural affairs and grounded in critical race praxis, the author chronicles their layered advocacy, institutional politics, and coalition-building that led to the creation of this identity-affirming space. The chapter highlights the author’s journey as a Queer Chicana, first-generation college graduate, and doctoral scholar, whose intersectional identities and professional expertise positioned her as a bridge-builder and placeholder during leadership transitions in cultural centers.
The author describes her role as an advisor to the Arab student coalition and eventual appointment as the Founding Director of a MENA Cultural Center. As the appointed advisor and student advocate, she navigated institutional resistance, representational politics, and limited
resources. Despite not having cultural ties to the MENA region, her deep relationships with students, professional expertise, and commitment to equity positioned her as a trusted student accomplice and co-conspirator. Through archival research, case study data, and lived experience,
the narrative centers the student-led movement that emerged in the wake of post-9/11 discrimination and Islamophobia, culminating in the successful funding and founding of the MENA Cultural Center in 2013.
This scholarly personal narrative outlines the administrative challenges, racial and religious misperceptions, and representational politics that surfaced throughout the process. It also explores broader issues such as institutional gatekeeping, demographic invisibility, and the value of cultural centers in fostering campus equity, belonging, and community resilience. Ultimately, this chapter asserts that cultural centers are sites of transformative justice, collective empowerment, and systemic change when nurtured through intentional leadership, allyship, and
community-based praxis (Patton, 2010; Stewart, 2011).
The author will share reflections on the long-term impacts of the center’s creation, the evolving needs of MENA students, and the importance of honoring the legacy of student activism. This work serves as an account that reimagines equity work in higher education through the lens of coalition-building, care, and commitment. Finally, in addition to sharing part of her writing process, this testimonio affirms that partnerships in justice are both possible and necessary to sustain equity-driven campus communities.

Patton, L. D. (2010). Culture centers in higher education: Perspectives on identity, theory, and practice. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Stewart, D. L. (Ed.). (2011). Multicultural student services on campus: Building bridges, re-visioning community. Sterling, VA. Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Author

• Marcela Ramirez-Stapleton, University of California