Courtesy of Ben Mattison

Marwa Lahlou tearfully recalled the moment she was called “the daughter of a terrorist.” As the only Arab student in her high school, discussions surrounding the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 often drew bullying and discrimination from her peers. 

Now, Lahlou holds the 2022 Miss Arab USA crown and advocates for immigrants and refugees, standing against the types of discrimination she previously faced.

On Saturday evening, Elena’s Light — a New Haven nonprofit aimed at supporting refugee and immigrant women and children — hosted a speaker event at Dwight Hall. The talks featured Marwa Lahlou, Miss Arab USA 2022, and Basma Alawee, executive director of the nonprofit WeaveTales. Titled “Lighting the Future: Refugee Conversations,” the speaker series aimed at sharing the journeys of refugees and immigrants with experiences in an array of fields including academia, advocacy and art. 

“You have a story, your parents have a story, your friends have stories,” said Emily Gordon, event specialist and volunteer at Elena’s Light. “That is what we want to elevate.”

Elena’s Light’s emphasis on community within the refugee and immigrant population inspired the “Lighting the Future” speaker event. Hosting speakers every couple of months, the event is framed as a greater conversation to bring people together, share food and stories and initiate mutual aid, according to Gordon. 25 people attended Saturday’s event in person at Dwight Hall, while eight more joined virtually.

Gordon, who has worked with the organization for the past four years, elaborated on its dedication to helping individuals one-by-one and establishing strong relationships in the community. As a smaller non-profit, she acknowledges that each of Elena’s Light’s programs are focused on putting the immigrants and refugees “front and center” during the learning process.

Lahlou, the first speaker of the night, recalled to the audience how she immigrated to the United States from her home in Morocco during her freshman year of high school. Landing in Alabama, the discrimination she faced in high school “crushed [her] personality.”

“I wanted to be prideful of my Arab roots instead of hiding from them,” Lahlou said. 

Due to the harassment, her family moved to Alexandria, Va. where she found a community and “solidarity” among the Arab and immigrant residents, helping her gain her confidence back. Moving to Connecticut during her senior year of high school, she became an advocate for immigrants, refugees, international students and other Arabs as she noticed their shared experiences of cultural clashes and tough times.

Through her friends’ support and in an effort to reach more people with her work, Lahlou decided to compete in the Miss Arab USA pageant.

“You love doing this work — why don’t you have a title to go with it?” Lahlou recalled her friends asking.

Since winning the competition in 2022, Lahlou has continued her work with various organizations like Elena’s Light to aid refugee women, children and orphans. Fluent in French, English, Spanish and all 31 dialects of Arabic, she stressed the importance of having spaces such as the panel to share and appreciate one another’s stories.

“We learn from each other and see the world differently,” she told the News. “I want everyone to appreciate who they are and where they come from, see the beauty in that, and be able to show it to others.”

Basma Alawee, the second speaker of the night who joined virtually, shared a similar sentiment.

As a refugee from Iraq, Alawee works at advocating for refugee rights and voices. She founded WeaveTales in 2019 to help refugees and immigrants share their lived experiences through writing and storytelling.

“The refugee story is not one, it is many stories that all need to be heard,” Alawee said.

Alawee shared her own story of fleeing Iraq after her family became a target due to her husband’s employment by an American company. She noted that such refugee experiences leave many with a constant fight-or-flight response that is created by trauma. To her, organizations such as Elena’s Light with “dedicated” and “passionate” workers are essential to overcoming those struggles.

“We all want to feel valued and important,” Alawee said.

Since its founding, Elena’s Light has expanded to offer services including English language tutoring, in-home health education, translation services, legal aid and a child-centered wellness program. With roughly 30 current volunteers, Elena’s Light serves around 1,000 individuals and over 100 families.

According to the Vera Institute of Justice, immigrants make up 12 percent of New Haven’s total residents.