The Black Muslim Students Conference
Meeting a Community Need
Throughout America, and even globally, racial tensions are at an all-time high. Like many other social justice movements of the past, our youth are the ones who are breaking barriers and demanding change. Life handed us lemons, and our college and university students, have made lemonade - even virtually too. These students have used social media as a powerful tool for connection, raising awareness on pertinent social issues, and planning instrumental events.
The Black Muslim Students Conference is a virtual conference that aims to provide Black students, parents, and alumni with a (virtual) platform to connect and openly discuss the issues that plague the community. The event commences on October 30th, 2020 with an exciting line-up featuring many speakers, fun virtual activities, and an opportunity to build new connections. While the conference is addressed to Black students and alumni, the event is open to all.
"We want attendees to take away a sense of awareness, belonging, and purpose, especially for Black Muslim Students because we are usually excluded in academic and religious spaces. We hope everyone feels included and builds life-long lasting friendships", says Sultan-Diego Sulayman, a recent Howard University Graduate who assisted in planning the conference.
Thalia Blankson, who is a current Senior at SUNY Albany, is also instrumental in the planning of the conference. Blankson explained, "I want people to see what the Black Muslim student community is like. Additionally, as a convert to Islam, I am interested in networking and learning about Islam through the eyes of people like me."
We sat down with Thalia Blankson and Sultan-Diego Sulayman to discuss the behind-the-scenes of the Black Muslim Students Conference:
Jannah Umar: Can you give us a brief description of what the Black Muslim Students Conference is?
Sultan-Diego Sulayman: The Black Muslim Students (Virtual) Conference: Defining and Celebrating the Black Muslim Student Identity is a premier conference for Black Muslims that will bring together collegiate students, on a national level. This conference will provide ways to discuss, learn more about, and celebrate the Black Muslim student identity.
JU: What are some main highlights that registrants can look forward to?
SS: Multiple Networking sessions to have 1-on-1 interactions with other attendees.
We are aiming to have 500+ registrants. Friday will be an Open-Mic Night, featuring Tariq Toure & Hasnaa Hashim. There will also be a student lead spoken-word poetry performance. On Saturday, we will have several workshops to choose from, with various topics such as the Convert/Revert experience, Loving Relationships, Colorism, and how to raise money for your MSA.
JU: So many aspects of our lives became virtual overnight. Would you say that the world becoming virtual made planning easier, or complicated things?
Thalia Blankson: Making the conference virtual has made planning easier because all the students that I worked with are from different parts of the country. It would be harder to meet everyone in person, especially because we have different schedules and the financial burden of traveling from one state to another might have been a problem for people. We were able to plan things out in a timely manner and quickly send a text. If we were to meet in person, it would be harder to reach out to each other.
JU: What lasting impact would you like for this conference to have on attendees, individually, and as a group?
TB: I want people to come and learn about Islam from scholars who are experts in the field. Attendees will also have several chances to meet each other, and maybe make life-long connections. It would make me proud, if other Black Muslim students go out and create other conferences or start businesses.
JU: Our world is facing challenges that we never thought we would see in our lifetime. Do you think there is a void in our community, that this conference will fill?
SS: Yes, this conference aims to give Black Muslims a voice, and provide an opportunity for others to hear our experiences and perspectives. It is possible that this could be the first time that some Muslims and non-Muslims alike, hear from Black Islamic Scholars, speakers, and students while attending our virtual conference.
The Black Muslim Students Conference will be this Friday, October 30th and Saturday, October 31st.
This conference is free for all to attend.
To register, click here.
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