More than half a century passed after the death of Malcolm X. What's left are massive thought heritage and generations that follow those ideas. 6 Malcolm X children, what are they doing to continue the family's glorious tradition?
Contrary to the brilliant successes of parents, Malcolm X's children are faded against scandals and criminal suspects. Is the shortage of the appearance of the father in childhood has created but hurt the children of Malcolm X?
Malcolm X Daughters by Ecosalon
Let's dive into it!
Table of Contents
Attallah Shabazz
Attallah Shabazz was born on November 16, 1958, in New York City, USA. This African-American author, actress, and speaker is the first daughter of Malcolm X and his wife, Betty Shabazz. Despite growing up in Mount Vernon, a neighborhood known for its ethnic diversity at the time, young Shabazz was once awakened by a malicious fire that targeted her family in the middle of the night.
They were able to flee and spend the night at a friend's apartment. However, her tragic childhood did not end there. Along with her siblings and mother, she observed her father's killing. Despite the fact that she was only six years old at the time of Malcolm X's murder, she had strong memories of the horrible day.
Attallah Shabazz by waytofamous.com
She then headed to the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, where she was schooled in Islamic education. She was a member of a social organization called “Jack and Jill”, where youngsters of well-off African Americans mingled when she was relatively young. She attended the United Nations International School (UNIS) in Manhattan during her adolescence. She attended Briarcliff College in Briarcliff Manor, New York for international law.
In 1979, Attallah Shabazz met Dr. King Jr.'s daughter Yolanda King. She found they had several similarities, and they were also in their early twenties at the time. Shabazz joined King on a speaking tour, which she found inspiring. The two then devised a play named “Stepping into Tomorrow”, aimed towards teens. The play told the story of six friends who reconnected at a high school reunion after a ten-year hiatus.
Photo by theblogofawesomewomen.wordpress.com
Shabazz was designated one of Fifty Young Leaders of the Future voted by Ebony magazine in 1983. Shabazz and King then collaborated on another play, Of One Mind, in the mid-1980s. Shabazz's partnership with Yolanda King lasted nearly 12 years.
Image by UKinUSA is licensed under CC BY- 2.0
Shabazz made her debut appearance on the show in 1987, during the 19th Annual NAACP Image Awards. She secured a deal to publish her memoirs in 1994, and the book was well-received upon its release. She was also featured in one of the segments of the TV historical series “American Experience” in 1994.
She screen- in 1995, when she was featured in a brief cameo in the drama-thriller “White Man's Burden”, produced by Desmond Nakano. She appeared in the science fiction television film Brave New World in 1998. Said Wilbert Musa, Belize's then-prime minister, appointed her as Ambassador-at-Large in 2002. In 2005, she appeared as a guest on an edition of the renowned American late-night talk program Tavis Smiley. She was spotted at the 37th NAACP Image Awards the previous year.
Attallah Shabazz is also a well-known speaker. She spoke during the memorial of Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife, Coretta Scott King. She also made a speech at the burial of world-famous boxer Muhammad Ali in June 2016.
Photo taken by University of Louisville, All rights reserved
Before Ali decided to cut relations with Malcolm X when he quit the Nation of Islam, Shabazz's father and Ali were close friends. Ali, who eventually quit the NOI, regretted turning his back on Malcolm X. Ali then reconnected with Shabazz in 2001 when she worked as a consultant on Michael Mann's autobiographical sports series “Ali”.
Qubilah Shabazz
Qubilah Shabazz was born on December 25, 1960. As a result, she was 4 years old when her dad was shot. Following her father's death, Qubilah and her family relocated to New York City, where she experienced childhood with her five siblings.
She went to a Quaker-run summer program called 'Farm and Wilderness' when she was quite little. She then switched from Islam to Quakerism when she was 11 years old. She went to Princeton University in New Jersey where she dropped out after two semesters due to racism. After graduating from Princeton, she relocated to Paris to pursue further education at the University of Paris, Sorbonne. To support herself, she worked as a translator at the same time.
Photo taken by thefamouspeople.com
Shabazz and her son Malcolm went to New York City in 1986, where they alternated between apartments. Shabazz embarked on a variety of odd occupations to support herself and her kid. She traveled from city to city, working as a waitress, telemarketer, and proofreader. She gradually became an alcoholic, frequently abandoning her son Malcolm with her mother and sisters and living with her acquaintances.
In 1995, Qubilah Shabazz was arrested for plotting to kill Louis Farrakhan. Shabazz believed Farrakhan was responsible for his father's assassination in 1965 and sought revenge through a hired killer.
Shabazz has said that she wants to avenge her father's death. At the same time, fearing for her mother's life, Betty Shabazz publicly accused Farrakhan of being behind the 1965 shooting. Although Farrakhan was linked to the leaders of the Nations of Islam who plotted to assassinate Malcolm X, he was most likely not actively involved in the conspiracy. Qubilah Shabazz avoided jail time by seeking treatment for drug and alcohol problems. She was then transferred to a rehabilitation center and had to send her son to his grandmother Betty Shabazz.
Legal and personal troubles continued to plague the Shabazz family in the 1990s. Betty's 12-year-old grandson set fire to the family home in Westchester County, New York, and was convicted of arson. break. The grandmother Betty Shabazz herself suffered severe burns in the fire and later died from these injuries.
Ilyasah Shabazz
Ilyasah Shabazz is the third daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz. She was born on July 22, 1962, in Queens, New York. Her name is fondly named after the first leader of the Nations of Islam, Elijah Mohammad. Like her sisters, Ilyasah Shabazz grew up in Mount Vernon, New York.
She attended the State University of New York and Fordham University for her higher education, where she earned a master's degree in Education and Human Resource Development. Despite her desire to pursue an acting career, Ilyasah's mother persuaded her to learn more about her father's lineage. Ilyasah now works in fields such as literature, advocacy, and motivational speaking.
Ilyasah Shabazz, Common Creative
She is the author of several award-winning children's books and novels. Although Farrakhan was related to the leaders of the Nations of Islam who plotted to assassinate Malcolm X, he was most likely not actively involved in the operation. Her most famous book must include "Betty Before X" writing about her mother Betty Shabazz before getting married.
Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 when Shabazz was three years old, but she knew her father well. Like her sisters, this African-American activist works hard to continue her great father's legacy.
"My mother kept her husband very much in our family. She wanted all six of her children to grow up understanding and feeling the importance of our father as a father."
Shabazz realizes why the world is looking to former leaders for guidance in these tough moments. That's the reason why she greenlighted Audible's plans to collaborate with legendary actor Laurence Fishburne on the first narrative of The Autobiography of Malcolm X some 55 years after its initial publication.
Ilyasah Shabazz by amnewsproducer
Shabazz also performed her own vocals on the recorded version of her 2002 memoir Growing Up X. When both audiobooks were released in mid-September, she spoke about how Black Lives Matter helped focus on issues her father struggled with 60 years ago. On the other hand, Shabazz Center also made efforts to help unify us and her analysis of how her father's legacy was used in these attempts.
Gamilah Lumumba Shabazz
Malcolm X's next daughter, Gamila Lumumba, was born in 1964. Her father named her after Congolese freedom leader Patrice Lumumba. Gamila co-founded Malcolm X, a clothing company, with five other sisters in 2018. Gamila Lumumba is also involved in other civil society groups. She has also begun to perform and write songs with strong black consciousness lyrics.
Photo by discogs.com
Gamilah is likely the least well-known of her sisters because she is only involved in the clothes industry. All of her information regarding her adolescence and education is not as extensively publicized as those of her sisters. Gamilah does not appear to be active on social media platforms such as Instagram or Twitter. In truth, she prefers to remain out of the spotlight and is a private person. The only thing the public knows about her is that she still occasionally participates in some memorial activities, giving speeches with her sisters.
Malaak Shabazz and Malikah Shabazz
Malcolm X was assassinated while his twin children were still in the womb. Five months after the death of their father, Malaak Shabazz and Malikah Shabazz, Malcolm X's two youngest children were born without his presence. Both Malaak and Malikah have been greatly inspired by her father's heritage despite never having met him.
Malaak Shabazz is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo taken by contents101.com
Final Thoughts
The children of Malcolm X have had completely separate directions of development. However, they all display a respectful attitude towards the core values of the family. Some of them are even following the promising ideas of their parents.
“You don’t have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being.”
Malcolm X
