Kenisha Lamarre, a senior majoring in social thought and political economy and political science, had always felt a sense of loneliness as one of a small number of Black students on the pre-law track at the University of Massachusetts.

“It’s a really rigorous career and I feel like it is way harder on Black students trying to pursue a legal career simply because there are just those systemic barriers…so in general, our experience is just ten times harder because we have to overcome those barriers,” she explained.

In her junior year, Lamarre was informed by her advisor about the National Black Law Student Association (NBLSA) and considered starting a local chapter at UMass. A semester later, Lamarre is the founder and first president of the pre-law chapter of NBLSA.

“I was super passionate about this because I felt like UMass did not have a resource or a space where Black pre-law students could come together and learn about the pre-law journey, learn about the resources that are out there, and just have a really tailored journey towards [law school],” Lamarre added.

With a six-member executive board and over 30 active members so far, the organization has accomplished many of their goals this semester, including starting their professionals’ series and hosting different developmental and social events. In the fall, they invited Black lawyers as guest speakers and had an event discussing impostor syndrome in Black pre-law students.

“The main goal is to just get as much exposure, resources and information out there to Black law students,” Lamarre explained.

The club is planning to host a “pre-law ball,” partnering with other student law organizations on campus. In addition, they hope to connect Black pre-law students to much-needed resources, like free LSAT prep and fee waivers for first-generation and low-income students. They also want to do a panel featuring law students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and their experience in the legal field.

There are also two NBLSA national conferences that the organization is hoping to attend soon.

Lamarre said she’s “very happy” with the turnout so far. “When you have a vision in your head, and you [think] maybe one or two people are going to show up and you actually see it to be a much bigger turnout is just such a great thing.” She added, “Everyone has been showing up and has been dedicated and of course, there’s more room to gain more membership.”

Ruth Tony-Alabi, a senior political science major, is NBLSA’s vice president. “[Our goals] for the short term have to do with the foundations and laying the groundwork for something that’s gonna outlast all of us, hopefully,” she said.

She hopes to build an alumni network, bringing back students who have already graduated and setting up communication channels for current students to reach out to them.

Tony-Alabi joined NBLSA’s executive board so she could direct the functioning of the organization and have a “direct hand” in that. “I wanted to make sure that I could make it good for myself, since I only had a year left, and also good for everybody else coming in,” she said.

Secretary Nanaafua Asamoah, a senior legal studies and policy negotiation major, added “I feel like this has been a conversation amongst the Black community in [the college of Social and Behavioral Sciences] about us starting a pre-law club meant for Black people…it’s something that we’ve all been passionate about.”

The leadership team had difficulty establishing themselves as a Registered Student Organization with the University. “[RSO status] was really fundamental to our chapter,” Lamarre said.

It did not, however, discourage the group. They reached out to other campus organizations, like SBS RISE, for collaborations and are hoping to get more support from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in general to grow the chapter, like being included in conversations with faculty and staff and getting access to senior leadership.

“Our mission is really empowering Black pre-law students in their journey,” Lamarre explained. “I want students to feel like they are capable of this legal journey in general and…to allocate as much resources and information and knowledge as we can.”

In the future, Lamarre envisions the organization getting “as big as it possibly can” and even having underclassmen representation throughout the club.

The group’s current focus is on recruitment, “I know this is a [Predominantly White Institution] and there’s not there’s not a lot of us who are pre-law and Black, but I know there’s a good majority…and I don’t know where these people are hiding,” Asamoah said. As the club continues to grow, she hopes to see them multiply their numbers “so bad” because she knows the “potential for [NBLSA] and that there’s a lot of it,” emphasizing that their strength is in numbers.

“I feel like we could reach out to a lot of the departments and really search through their people and figure out who’s interested in law and everything,” Tony-Alabi explained. They want to get “the word out there” by partnering with other law-related offices, advising centers and different clubs.

As for new members, Tony-Alabi’s advice is that “now is the time to join, don’t wait.” Since the organization was recently established, Tony-Alabi believes “it can be exactly what you want and what you need” and that general body members would have more of a say in developing the culture of the club.

“I would love for people to know that this journey isn’t light, necessarily, and that you’re not alone and that there are resources out there; it’s just a matter of finding them,” Lamarre said. “That’s what this chapter is about, you know, helping navigate those resources. We are a resource, so come to us, we’re all working together [and] we’re all learning together.”

Mahidhar Sai Lakkavaram can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Mahidhar_sl.