Minority Student Organizations

Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
Formed in 1982, the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) sponsors educational programs and social activities that have three goals: increasing the Asian Pacific American presence at the school and in the wider legal community; promoting a deeper understanding of the political, economic, and historical roles of Asians in America; and establishing a national network of exchange among Asian Pacific American law students and attorneys.

Black Law Students Association
The Black Law Student Association (BLSA) provides a forum for addressing the concerns of the school's Black and African American students. BLSA's objectives include increasing the number of Black and African American attorneys nationwide; strengthening minority faculty representation at the school and across the University; and responding to the needs and interests of African American community in Chicago and beyond. Northwestern's BLSA chapter is active in the school's recruitment of students of color and cooperates with chapters at other law school in the area to meet common goals.

Diversity Coalition
The students who make up the Diversity Coalition organize a full lineup of activities -- panel discussions, social events, and a weeklong series of workshops and public speeches -- that spotlight the nature and interplay of differences of race, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status in the school community and in the legal profession. The coalition includes the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, the Black Law Students Association, the Christian Legal Society, the Jewish Law Students Association, the Latino Law Students Association, the Muslim Law Students Association, OUTlaw, and the South Asian Law Students Association.

DREAM Committee
DREAM, the acronym for the Day to Recognize the Efforts and Achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is a committee of students and faculty who coordinate public lectures and programs on campus that coincide with the national observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and are designed to educate the Law School community about the civil rights leader's teachings and contributions.

Latino Law Students Association
The Latino Law Students Association (LLSA) brings attention to a range of minority-related issues and promotes the active role of Latinos and other minorities in the field of law. Open to Latinos and to anyone interested in Latino culture and concerns, LLSA involves its members -- who currently include students of Argentinean, Cuban, Dominican, Ecuadorian, Mexican, and Puerto Rican descent -- in LLSA-sponsored activities such as the Latinos in Law School panel discussion and buffet, minority recruitment phonathons, fundraising bake sales and food tastings, mock interviews, and attendance at Mexican American Lawyers Association meetings.

Muslim Law Students Association
The Muslim Law Students Association addresses the concerns of law students who are interested in exploring issues of Islam and the legal profession. The MLSA also seeks to provide for the cultural and spiritual needs of Muslim law students at Northwestern University School of Law through a diverse program of activities.

OUTlaw
OUTlaw provides opportunities for students to act together on the political, social, and academic concerns of lesbian, gay, and bisexual students and to be in contact with affiliated communities in the Chicago area. Although OUTlaw exists primarily to meet the needs of the school's gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, event and meetings are open to all who seek an end to discrimination and prejudice. OUTlaw concentrates on increasing awareness and discussion of such issues as hate crimes against lesbian and gay men, discrimination on the basis of HIV status, the intertwined nature of homophobia and sexism, and the legal aspects of today's changing conceptions of family and domestic partnership.

South Asian Law Students Association
The newly formed South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) aims to create a supportive community for entering law students, to encourage South Asian involvement and success in the legal arena, to promote awareness of South Asian cultures and issues, and to support efforts to improve the community at large. SALSA is also committed to the ongoing development of a mentorship program for first-year students.