BMI is a student-led group that was established in fall 2017 because the duality of being Black and Muslim often puts us in a position where we feel that we must choose between our identities. Our main goal is to shed light on the experiences of Black Muslims within the broader Muslim community while acknowledging and accepting our history and ancestors’ legacies. We want folks to feel a sense of acknowledgment, respect, and empathy being at the intersection of multiple identities and communities. In addition, we seek to integrate and create an atmosphere that is inclusive of the larger Muslim community. Ultimately, we hope we can bridge the divisions, and the misunderstandings and dismantle the stereotypes alongside the that persists about Black Muslims.

For our First Annual Black Muslim Symposium, we were pleased by the turnout of about 200 guests and the overall outcome of the event. You can read more about the event here and look at our event pictures here. Last year, our 4th Annual Black Muslim Symposium had a virtual turnout of over 350 across the world with guests tuning in from Canada to Singapore. You can watch some of our highlights from our amazing panelists on our social media page: instagram.com/nyubmi under Highlights: 2022 Symposium

Alhamdulilah, we have been blessed to organize our 5th Annual Black Muslim Symposium this year, which will focus on growing and strengthening the Black Muslim community in the United States and beyond, titled “Nurturing our Network”. For centuries, Black Muslims have influenced the development of Islam in America. This conference intends to highlight the dense, yet rich roots of Black Muslim Scholarship in America, from its earliest stages until today, and its implicit and explicit impact. In addition, the symposium will incorporate, and unbox, and acknowledge the contributions that Black Muslims have paved in this journey, as well as unpack taboo issues such as mental health and healing through several examples of reputable and knowledge-driven media arts. Furthermore, our goal is to inform ourselves and the wider community on how to use our history to be more informed on mobilizing our communities, specifically, the Black and Muslim communities. We aim to further appreciate the legacy we are a part of and reflect on the legacy we want to leave behind.