Ilyasah Shabazz carries the lessons of her parents in ways that are both intimate and public. After all, she has shared her family with the world, most notably following the 1965 assassination of her father, El Hajj Malik Al Shabazz, better known as Malcolm X.
One of six daughters born to Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, she is an award-winning author and educator whose advocacy for education is centered in building intergenerational relationships. Shabazz is continuing her parents’ work of pursuing economic, social, and criminal justice for all. History, she said, is at the core of who we are as a nation.
Shabazz will discuss her work, views on the importance of history, as well as thoughts about voter suppression efforts during a virtual lecture on Feb. 23 as Dallas College observes Black History Month.
“I believe that every American child must learn that Black history is American history, and that American history is also Hispanic, Native American and Asian history. There’s no American history unless each and every voice is heard on the pages of our textbooks,” said Shabazz, who teaches perspectives on justice at John Jay College in New York. “I think that this is really the beauty of our America.”
Shabazz has had a front row seat to history. She was a witness to the 1965 slaying of her father. An author of several books, she has moved beyond seeing her parents as icons and helps others to adjust their lenses and view them as parents – humans, even. Part of Malcolm X’s lectures were about the unwillingness of some to view the humanity of all races.
Malcolm X, she said, was instrumental in bringing human rights to the forefront of the civil rights movement.
“My father provided the biggest critique of America to live up to her promise of liberty and justice for all. I think that now we have the opportunity to do better and instill a value system for our children. Thank God this generation is compassionate. Black Lives Matter, too. Every child deserves to know that they’re worthy of love.”
Her mother, she said, taught her children to love themselves and in doing so equipped them to love others.
“I want to see justice for you,” she quoted her mother as saying.
”If we don’t learn the lessons (of history), we’ll continue in this cycle of divisiveness. Our humanity and the injustice of those issues that challenge one’s humanity… We demand our human rights. I think a renewal of the human spirit is critical to igniting an international movement to save our planet and eliminate poverty and dispose of injustice.
“My mother fought to preserve a part of the Audubon Ballroom where my father was assassinated. It is a cultural institution that harnesses the legacy of my parents. We can’t just sit back and know that it exists and do nothing,” said Shabazz.
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When asked how her father would view today’s social justice and political climate, she said he would be encouraged by this generation and how they have responded to injustice. The brutal 2020 slaying of George Floyd introduced new voices and new hopes to the movement, she said.
“My father said that it would be a generation of young people who would recognize that those in power have misused it and demand change,” Shabazz said. “And we see that in all of the marches that took place while we were forced to quarantine ourselves, not knowing what COVID was. We were questioning immorality,” she said.
Shabazz is an award-winning author and served as project advisor for the award-winning PBS documentary “Prince Among Slaves.” She is also the author of “Growing Up X.” She is co-chair of the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center.
Shabazz will speak virtually to Dallas College students at 4 p.m. Feb. 23. The event may be viewed online via Webex while the livestream will be hosted at the following campus locations:
• Brookhaven (S220)
• Cedar Valley (D230)
• Eastfield (C135C)
• El Centro (Student Center)
• Mountain View (Treetop Lounge)
• North Lake (H237)
• Richland (SH117)
In addition to the Shabazz lecture, Dallas College has planned an engaging list of activities that celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black Americans. Events include a walk-through of recent history along with wellness and health and cooking classes. There is also a trip to the African American Museum of Dallas and an African American Read-in that features the Harlem Renaissance.
