Photo via: Salma Mitwalli
Cherry Hill West has grown a lot over the years to represent people from all different backgrounds and religions. Some examples of this representation are the Asian Culture Club, African American Culture Club, Latinos at West, Jewish Student Union, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Each of these clubs is necessary at West for the participating students to learn about and celebrate their cultures or religions. They form strong communities, where students feel safe to express their true identities and share them with fellow club members. The various fun activities in clubs like these allow students to explore their cultures more deeply and feel more connected to them. They are vital parts that make up the inclusive and representative West community that is so prominent today.
Though many ethnic and religious groups have been represented by these clubs, there are still a number of cultures that don’t have dedicated clubs. I especially realized this at the activities fair I visited last year as an incoming freshman. All of the clubs and sports at West had their own designated tables lined up in long rows along the gym walls. My friends and I traveled through the maze of tables, staring in awe at all of the bright and colorful displays. Though I saw a few clubs that I was interested in, my heart began to drop with every club sign that I read. Once I had reached the end of the tables, it was then that I realized that there was no club that represented Middle Eastern or North African people at West. This was the club that I looked forward to joining the most. I was told beforehand that West’s wide selection of clubs would have a place of representation for everybody, so I had just expected there to be a previously existing club for me to happily join.
Distraught by this revelation, I pushed it to the back of my mind, as I was more worried about surviving freshman year at the time. But once I became a sophomore and was more comfortable at West, I knew it was time to take action. Especially after seeing all of the culture clubs’ mesmerizing performances and invitational displays during Multicultural Day last May, I had never been more inspired to share my culture. I knew that Arab culture would fit right in and be gladly celebrated by the students alongside all of the other rich cultures.
That’s when I reached out to my Egyptian friend and fellow sophomore Salma, who felt the same way about the under-representation of Arabs at West. We worked together to reach out to a guidance counselor named Mrs. Elsherif. Mrs. Elsherif also has an Egyptian background and was the advisor of a similar club that ran a few years ago, called the Salam Club. This club had a similar premise as a space of representation for people from the Middle East, North Africa, Central/Southwest Asia, Balkan, and Sahel regions of the world. Salma and I knew we had to get a similar club up and running again for those who desired that type of community.
Once we got all of the logistics sorted out with our advisor and student activities, all of the pieces fell into place. We advertised the club and our first meeting was a joint meeting with the Muslim Student Association that took place on January 30th, 2024. The meeting was packed with people who wanted their culture represented and those who wanted to learn more and celebrate these cultures alongside us. I had never felt more proud of a community of people for coming together.
Our future meetings will consist of trying new foods, learning about different dances, listening to different music, and trying different traditions from all types of Middle Eastern cultures. There’s always something new to learn or try and will be a fun and fulfilling experience for everyone involved. So if you’re passionate about celebrating your culture or learning something about the culture of others, the Arab Culture Association is the perfect club for you. All updates will be posted on the Instagram page @chw.aca, so keep an eye out for our next post and join the Google Classroom!