By Jasmin Shirazian
A dish served to distinguished lecturer Maral Attallah of the department of critical race, gender and sexuality studies at a Palestinian restaurant in the Bay Area, and a conversation with the owner in Arabic, brought her to tears. When community is limited, sudden access to cultural connections, like a meal and communication, can be incredibly emotional. The constant feeling of isolation that is so abundant in Humboldt County is amplified for minority communities.
“My father passed away in June of 2024, so I don’t speak Arabic to people — I don’t hear Arabic, people don’t speak Arabic up here. It’s not a part of my daily life anymore, and that makes me really sad,” Attallah said. “[The owner] basically told me in Arabic, to enjoy your meal — and I lost it, because the last time I heard someone say that to me was my dad. My dad used to say it every time he’d bring me my meal.”
Students of color who choose Cal Poly Humboldt often leave behind communities more diverse and supportive than what can be found in Humboldt County. According to 2025 U.S. Census Data, out of 131,647 residents in Humboldt County, 82% were white, with the second largest demographic being Hispanic or Latino at 14.6%. As of now, there is no categorization available for those of North African or Middle Eastern descent to differentiate from or collect data on, which can make it even more difficult to connect and form communities. Though some minority groups are able to find a semblance of similarity to what may feel like home through established groups and organizations, for students with Middle Eastern, North African and West Asian ancestry, cultural connections can be much harder to find.
Attallah is of Armenian and Assyrian descent on her father’s side. She has made it her life’s work to tell the facts and stories of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, which includes her grandfather. Through her work, she connects with her heritage; she keeps her father and grandfather’s experiences alive, refusing to let their stories be told for them.
Food in many cultures serves as a pillar of community; it can provide an opportunity to sit, relax and take time to connect with loved ones. For Attallah, language and food are key components of her connection to her roots. However, enjoying a West Asian, Middle Eastern or North African dish, like the Kafta bil Saniyeh that brought Attallah to tears, often means venturing outside of Humboldt County. Though there are a handful of establishments that serve Mediterranean foods and inspired dishes, the selection is limited. Attallah, when able, will leave Humboldt County specifically to get back in touch with diversity.
“Any opportunity I get to leave Humboldt, I do,” Attallah said. “I have to leave — I need the food, I need the language, I need to see people who look like me. Not even like me, but just different.”
The simple act of shared words over a dish can have unexpected impacts on minority communities that have limited access to their culture. When going out is not an option, learning to cook at home is something many diaspora, like fisheries biology major Neshwa Rabie, must do to reconnect with their roots. Rabie, of Jordanian descent on her father’s side, lived in Jordan until she was six years old. Like Attallah, she finds that speaking Arabic, especially with her family, is what helps her feel most at home.
“I have my old pictures from Jordan that I have in my room,” Rabie said. “But, mostly, it’s just speaking to my family, because that gives me a chance to speak Arabic and that makes me feel really connected to my roots.”
Rabie also stays connected with her roots through her pride of being Arab. The comfort and joy she has in her identity are undeniable aspects of her person.
“I like to think that every room I go into, I want people to know I’m Arab, I’m Jordanian,” Rabie said. “This is who I am. This is a very big part of my identity. This affects how I do everything, and everybody should know that that is who I am.”
While food and language can serve as the connection for many, other students like Leyla Craven use art and art history to reconnect with their heritage.
Craven, a double major in art history and art education, is Iranian on her father’s side and has based her thesis on Iranian artist Shirin Neshat. Craven also incorporates traditional Iranian motifs into her art as a way to reclaim and reconnect with her heritage. One of her main reasons behind her art is her insistence that Iranian voices must be heard. She believes that through art, Iranian voices can be amplified to show the nuances that are often pushed aside due to distance, misinformation or propaganda.
“Obviously, especially here in Humboldt, but just in the whole Western world in general, there’s not a lot of Iranian representation,” Craven said. “So, we should make as much stuff and get our voices out there as much as possible, especially to avoid [being] turned into a monolith.”
For Craven, creating Iranian-inspired art also further connects her to other Iranian diaspora. The act of creation can feel like the connection that has been fractured from both civil wars and foreign intervention. For diaspora, it can be one of the few ways to form community. The disconnect felt being removed from a home that housed generations of a person’s family can be slightly remedied through the connection found within the diaspora. Through these connections, Middle Eastern, West Asian and North African diaspora are able to rebuild their community.
“I think a lot of Iranian artists are about being a part of the diaspora, about being disconnected from their cultures and from their families,” Craven said. “We’re all connected internationally through the act of making art and communicating with each other as a way for us to sort of reclaim a sense of heritage or belonging. Because for so many of us, our families are so fractured and traumatized, it’s a way to find connection.”
Jasmin Shirazian is the award-winning, curly-headed copy editor of The Lumberjack. Her beats range from breaking news to complaining about minor inconveniences. In her free time, she enjoys leaving the country and spending time with her cat. Inquiries can be sent to js760@humboldt.edu.