After the first meeting of the group formerly known as the African Middle Eastern Association, sophomore Fahmo Jama said she found a safe space within the group.

“You can talk about your feelings and what’s going on in the world and things you can do to help the environment and the community,” Jama said.

Group adviser Christopher Weaver said the group’s purpose is to provide a comfortable environment for students of color.

“(The group provides) a safe space for students of color to process what it’s like being in St. Louis Park Schools, to process what’s going on in the world (and) to take on some social activism stuff,” Weaver said.

Co-head of the student group senior Osman Sheikh said the group changed its name in part to include a wider group of people.

“I felt the (African Middle Eastern)  group was actually a beneficial group, and I wanted to open up not just to Somali people, but to all African Americans, all people who want to be a part of it,” Sheikh said.

Sheikh said the group laid out a blueprint for this year and discussed its purpose and future plans at its first meeting.

“Since we’re making (the group) more inclusive to everybody, we’re kind of starting anew,” Sheikh said. “There (are) multiple ideas that are going (around), like having this be a support group or have a fundraiser for people in Africa or (raising) black awareness. It’s a place where we can take action.”

Weaver said during the last school year, the group engaged in several letter writing campaigns, including one to the administration after the Park hijab incident and the presidential election.

“There was no overall, ‘hey folks, we care about everybody’ message (from the administration). Everybody wrote to the admin and had them basically voice how they felt about being here,” Weaver said.

Sheikh said he hopes the meeting established the group as a foundation for action.Abby Intveld

“We definitely want to plan something for the school or an event that people can participate in,” Sheikh said. “(With) this meeting, I’m hoping to set a path for people to follow. (I hope) to give (group members) a chance to run something and be a part of something, a group where they can express their voices.”

For more information on how to join the Black Student Union, talk to Christopher Weaver in the math lab.