The Organization for Black Leftist Unity (OBLU), one of the newest student groups to take root at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has been organized to “promote self-advocacy and political self-determination” among students of color attending predominantly white universities.

Founded in July by New York natives Maija Hall and Josh Odam, the OBLU is “committed to the promotion and practical application of black and Afro-Caribbean radical thought and leftist ideologies.” But Hall and Odam plan on doing much more than theorizing. Over the past month, the OBLU has worked in coordination with Student Bridges and Student Government to organize two rallies addressing local and national racial issues.

Hall and Odam draw inspiration from some of the most notable, if not controversial figures in the black liberation movement — people like black feminist Bell Hooks and prominent 60’s civil rights leader, Stokely Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture).

While OBLU leadership has already been associated with the Black Student Union on campus, they maintain that the new organization is very different. Hall, a sophomore sociology major and African American studies minor, who sits on the board of the BSU, said that her disillusionment with BSU tactics motivated her to start a new organization dedicated to making more change in the community.

“In the past couple of years, [the BSU] have taken a more social role than we would have liked them to take,” Hall said. “They haven’t been as active in the political climate.”

Hall and Odam hope to address an assortment of issues, including sexism, classism and capitalism. One of the main issues on the group’s radar right now is what the OBLU calls “police terrorism,” commonly referred to as police brutality.

“The term police brutality is very institutional language when, in actuality, what is going on is police are coming and terrorizing the citizens that live in communities of color and low income communities,” Hall said.

A member of the United States Student Association, the OBLU hopes to coordinate nationally to tackle police brutality this October.

Recent examples such as the August shooting of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, by Darren Wilson, a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri show that racial tensions still exist in the United States. In our own backyard, Carolyn Gardner, a teacher of color at Amherst Regional High, was the target of racist graffiti on three separate occasions last year, prompting a police investigation.

According to group co-founder Josh Odam, a sophomore legal studies and political science major, the OBLU will take what they learn from the classroom and apply it to issues of racism.

“We are college students, we do need to develop ourselves intellectually, but we have a responsibility to apply that knowledge to implement some meaningful change within our communities,” Odam said.

With the past as a model, Hall said that the OBLU is “trying to create a space for black students that are politicized and that do want to organize around these issues.”

Odam added that people of all ethnic backgrounds can ally themselves with anti-racist struggles, but allies need to come to the group with the understanding that they themselves benefit from institutional racism and shouldn’t expect to have leadership positions in the organization.

“Every movement needs allies, but I understand that I am here to assist in whatever way possible, I don’t want to take, nor should I be taking a front seat in this initiative. Tell me where you need me,” said Odam.

Jason Kotoch can be reached at [email protected]. Or follow him on Twitter @jasonkotoch.