One of El-Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz’s (Malcolm X) and Dr. Betty Shabazz’s youngest daughters, Malikah Shabazz, passed away on November 22 at 56. Shabazz was found unresponsive in her living room by her daughter Bettih-Bahiyah Shabazz at their Brooklyn apartment.
Born Malikah Saban Shabazz on September 30, 1965, along with her twin sister Malaak, they are the youngest of the six offspring of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz. Shabazz never met her notable father, as she was in her mother’s womb when he was assassinated.
Being the daughter of one of Black America’s most prominent figures exposed Malikah to a league of endeavors bound to acts of justice.
According to the Amsterdam News, Shabazz earned a Ph.D. in educational administration and human development and an MS in mathematical science. In 1993, Shabazz spoke at the Hahn University Center at the University of San Diego about her father’s legacy. She was the founder of the National Organization of African Students in America, which offered mentoring and support to high school and college students to adapt to the multicultural society of America.
It might come as an expectation to assume that Malikah’s revolutionary-like efforts were highlighted throughout her years. However, they were not. She remained covert in her affairs. Shabazz did not monetize or dilute her appeal as the daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz and shared this mentality with her older sisters. Due to the legacy of their iconic parents, there have been differences among the women of the Shabazz sisterhood. While the Shabazz sisters did not make rapacious moves towards their parents’ legacy, it did not negate that it had to be maintained.
The widow of Malcolm X, Dr. Betty Shabazz, died in 1997 after suffering from injuries from a house fire ignited by her 12-year-old grandson Malcolm Shabazz. Dr. Shabazz passed away three weeks after being hospitalized, suffering from injuries, extensive burns caused by the incident.
Since the death of Dr. Shabazz, there have been disputes among the Shabazz sisters about the assets of their mother’s estate. The conflicts have lasted for over a decade. In 2002, an assortment of Malcolm X memorabilia appeared at Butterfield’s, an auction site in San Francisco. From this appearance, it was discovered that Malikah managed to collect her father’s items, including unpublished writings, speeches, letters, journals, and place them at a storage facility in Florida. She did not get permission from the estate to collect the material.
According to biographer Manning Marble, there is a court record from May 17, 1999, of a contract signed by Malikah Shabazz to rent space at a storage unit in Florida. The account was reportedly $600 in arrears. After failing to pay the fees for the storage space, the contents of the bin, invaluable items, were seized and dispositioned. The materials were set to be sold on September 20, 2021. They were purchased by a buyer named James Calhoun. Calhoun later offered the items to the Butterfield auction house, and they agreed to do a public sale.
Butterfield’s sale of the Malcolm X collection took place on March 20, 2002. According to a 2004 court petition by Joseph Fleming, the former attorney for the Shabazz estate, representing the appointed administrators, Ilyasah and Maalak Shabazz, the estate paid $300,000 to retrieve their parent’s sacred materials. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture paid the Shabazz estate over $400,000 to borrow the Malcolm X collection exclusively for seventy-five years.
In 2011, through a court-appointed attorney of Westchester County Court, Malikah Shabazz accused Ilyasah and Maalak Shabazz and their former lawyer of spending money from the estate, mismanaging assets, and developing a high tax bill. Shabazz’s lawyer, Lori Anne Douglass, told the New York Times that Ilyasah and Maalak’s failure to perform inventory after the passing of Dr. Betty Shabazz has made it difficult to determine the specifics of licensing pacts.
According to the New York Times, Ilyasah and Maalak’s lawyer at the time, L. Londell McMillian accused Douglass of prolonging the estate and delaying a publishing deal. McMillian also accused Douglas of preventing Malikah from communicating and cooperating with the matter.
In 2010, Malikah wrote a letter to the judge stating she experienced “overly dramatic bullying” as a way of encouraging her to agree to a settlement. She also said, “every bit of everything has been taken from my daughter and I” and added that she does intend to participate in any “so-called settlements, or negotiations.”
Malikah is often not seen in photos or events with her sisters. She maintained a private life and approached it as an average civilian while carrying the might of her strong family dynamic. However, the daughter of one of Black America’s most heralded liberation fighters faced moments of strife.
In February 2011, Malikah was arrested in North Carolina due to an outstanding warrant from 2009. Authorities of the Madison County Sheriff’s office were called to her residence after it was reported that a child who lived in her home was not attending school. According to a report by CBS News, investigators went to her house after an anonymous call was made to the Department of Social Services requesting a welfare check on her 13-year-old daughter. Shabazz’s lawyer, Sean Devereux, told The New York Times that it was reported her daughter was not attending school when in actuality, the child was being homeschooled.
After looking further into the profile of Malikah Shabazz, authorities discovered warrants from Queens, New York, for charges including grand larceny, forgery, and identity theft dating back to 2009. Shabazz was accused of stealing the identity of a family friend Khaula Bakr, the widow of one of Malcolm X’s bodyguards. She reportedly took roughly $30,000 to pay for bills and personal expenses. After appearing in Madison County court four days after her arrest, she was extradited to Riker’s Island in New York.
Shabazz was placed on a $100,000 bail. She received immense support from the Black community, as documented by Amsterdam News. Several community leaders spoke out, including Reverend Al Sharpton, Councilman Charles Barron, Professor James Small, Dr. Leonard Jefferies, Minister Abdul Hafeez Muhammad, and Nana Camile Yarbrough.
“The Shabazz family is the first family of struggle, and we are obligated to support them and not make judgments,” Dr. Leonard Jefferies declared via Amsterdam News. “Dr. Betty and Malcolm Shabazz’s family is the first family of struggle among African-American people in America, and we are obligated in the African tradition to help the widow and children of our leaders. Now we have the children and grandchildren to help and protect. I’ll be one of those who will be helping, and I encourage others to do so.”
Malcolm Shabazz, her nephew, son of her sister Qubilah Shabazz, expressed concern for his aunt, advocating for her freedom. According to the report from Amsterdam News, he recalled his mother’s case with the federal government where she was accused of conspiring an assassination attempt for Minister Louis Farrakhan.
“My mother [Qubilah] was facing a case against the federal government for allegedly hiring a hitman to assassinate Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in 1995. It was COINTELPRO, the government’s counterintelligence program. Now they are attacking my family once again. They’re attacking my Aunt Malikah. It’s unfortunate. Sometimes they place us in a position that they think will break us, but actually, what it does is make us stronger.”
Shabazz was ultimately released and placed on probation. However, a couple of years later, another incident ensued.
In 2017, Ms. Shabazz and her daughter Bettih-Bahiyah Shabazz were arrested and charged with animal cruelty and vehicle theft after distressed pit bulls were found in a Uhaul truck the pair were driving that was reported stolen. The pit bulls were subjected to “inhumane conditions” as they were found inside of stacked crates, according to the New York Post. They were arrested at a Walmart parking lot in La Plata, Maryland, and ultimately released on a $2,000 bond.
The following year, on May 19, 2018, Malikah joined her sisters Ilyasah and Malaak to commemorate their father’s ninety-third birthday at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Educational and Memorial Center in Harlem. Also in attendance were Mayor Bill de Blasio, Fox News’ Lisa Evers, hip-hop artist and activist Immortal Technique, and activist Shaun King.
There was no foul play suspected in the death of Malikah Shabazz. Medical examiners later discovered that Shabazz was battling an undisclosed long-term illness. It was reportedly ruled she died of natural causes. Her death took place two weeks after a New York judge dismissed the convictions of two of three men convicted in the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X.
The Shabazz family released an official statement on Facebook via Ilyasah Shabazz’s page, where they embraced sent condolences, and shared information about Malikah’s homegoing service.
The Shabazz Family
“In this time of deep sadness from the loss of our beloved Baby sister, Malikah Saban Shabazz, our family extends heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of kindness we have received from so many well-wishers around the world. We ask for your continued prayers and warm thoughts as we grieve. Malikah will now rest in peace with our parents, El Hajj Malik Al Shabazz (Malcolm X) & Dr. Betty Shabazz. The Memorial Celebration of Life will be held in the coming weeks with our eldest sister, Ambassador Shabazz, presiding. Malikah is survived by her immediate family, her loving daughter Bettih-Bahiyah, her nephew Malik-Amjhad, and her five sisters respectively, Attallah, Qubilah-Bahiyah, Ilyasah, Gamilah-Lumumba, and her beloved twin, Malaak Saban. Blessings and peace be unto you.”
On Saturday, November 27, Malikah Shabazz’s life was celebrated with a janaza funeral at The Islamic Cultural Center of New York. The burial later took place at the Janaza Ferncliff Cemetary in Hartsdale.
A daughter of the struggle, Malikah Shabazz was a product of reality. While she never got the chance to meet her iconic father, Shabazz symbolized transparency. She was conserved in her affairs, and through tribulation, her inkling for justice was undeniable. She is reminiscent of a warrior queen who strived to maintain respect in her circumference. An unorthodox approach to her parents’ legacy, the life of Malikah Shabazz teaches fellow sisters of the struggle that it is okay to be distinct in your calling.
