A newly-founded student group called the Society of Black Men (SBM) seeks to provide community for Black men at the University of Minnesota.
The group was founded by three first-year students who went to Champlin Park High School together and were part of a similar student group.
Deus Kalege, a first-year student with an undecided major serves as a co-vice president of SBM. He said he and his peers were inspired to found SBM because there is no student group for Black men at the University. He said he hopes it can continue for years.
“As Black men, we are a minority,” Kalege said. He said he hopes for SBM “to unite and bring Black men together.”
Hatim Suliman, a first-year student majoring in finance and risk management and monitoring and strategic management, serves as SBM’s president. He is in the Carlson School of Management and said he did not see much diversity in his classes.
“Being in Carlson, I kind of realized that there really isn’t that much diversity in it … My first semester, I had a total of like six Black people in all my classes combined,” Suliman said.
Baron Bahn, a first-year student majoring in kinesiology, serves as a co-vice president of SBM. He said he and the other founders began talking about how they rarely saw other Black students in their classes and around campus.
Bahn said that because the University is a predominantly white institution, they wanted to create a group where Black men can feel a sense of community.
Suliman said he believes SBM will fill a gap in existing University student groups. Suliman said the Black Student Union and Black Motivated Women are two prominent student groups on campus that represent Black students and Black female students, respectively. Suliman said he felt a desire for SBM to provide such a space for Black men.
“I feel like the struggles that Black men go through are kind of different than what Black women might go through,” Suliman said. “I definitely feel like Black women have it harder than Black men for sure, but I feel like creating that space for Black men will possibly get more Black men in the community to contribute.”
The founders decided to set a minimum GPA requirement of 2.5 for membership. Additionally, they plan for the group to engage in work that benefits the community.
Currently, the group has filled its board positions and is working to increase its membership before its upcoming first event.
In April, SBM will host an outdoor barbecue. “Events will be open to everyone,” Bahn said. “You don’t necessarily need to be a Black man.”
In the future, the founders hope to lead discussions on topics that are important to Black men like police brutality. They also plan to host other social events like game nights, watch parties and sporting events.
Reflecting on his hopes for members of SBM, Bahn said, “We really just wanted to create a group where Black men feel safe. A safe room for Black men, to uplift them.”
