Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz speaks at 39th MLK symposium

More than 150 University of Michigan community members, students and faculty gathered in the Michigan Union Rogel Ballroom and on Zoom Monday afternoon for a talk by adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice Ilyasah Shabazz. Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, is also an award-winning author, speaker and producer.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, was part of the University’s 39th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium. This year’s symposium, titled “Restless Dissatisfaction: An Urgent Call for the Pursuit of Justice and Equality,” was presented by the U-M Library MLK Committee and co-sponsored by the Rackham Graduate School, U-M Housing, Bentley Historical Library and U-M School of Information.

Devon Keen, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at the School of Information, began the event by acknowledging the role of student protests during the Black Action Movement III in the official recognition of MLK Day at the University.

“Everything that is good and righteous about this University came about because of activism, and this celebration is no different,” Keen said. “Activism led to this lecture and how the University closes down to allow space for students, faculty and staff to come out to talks such as this one.” 

Shabazz began her talk by explaining the disconnect between what she knows about her father, Malcolm X, and how the world perceives him. 

“I grew up knowing my father’s love,” Shabazz said. “I knew his smile, his humor and his passion. I knew that he studied history, nature, the arts and that he was a wise man with impeccable integrity, led by his service to God. It wasn’t until I went to college that I began to hear inaccurate portrayals of my father’s life at work.” 

Shabazz further clarified that while Malcolm X and King had different approaches to activism, both were overall similar in their mission. While King embraced nonviolent direct action, Malcolm X encouraged civil rights activists to defend themselves against racist violence when necessary.

“While the world often portrays them as opposites, these two men thought of one another as brothers,” Shabazz said. “People often whisper to me that they are on one side or another, but ladies and gentlemen, we do not have to choose a side. Both men share the mission to challenge an unjust world.”

Shabazz encouraged the audience to continue working toward a more equitable society, starting with a critical examination of the criminal justice system and more comprehensive history curriculums in schools. 

“We must do the work of critiquing and dismantling the unjust separate sets of rules under which our country has operated,” Shabazz said. “We must teach that Black history is American history and that American history also includes Latin America, Native American and ancient American histories.”

LSA senior Princess-J’Maria Mboup, speaker for the Black Student Union, told The Michigan Daily in an interview she found the talk to be enlightening, especially Shabazz’s compassionate approach to activism.

“I think she had a way of reminding us that we have work to do today,” Mboup said. “There’s injustice in the world and she taught us how to approach that through a lens of love in your activism and whatever change you’re trying to make.”

In an interview with The Daily, Justin Ting, Rackham student and event attendee, emphasized the importance of continuing to work and study the history of Black activism beyond MLK Day. 

“The work of digging into history needs to be after the date, before the date and all year,” Ting said. “It’s not that we only think about these topics, these difficult topics, today and then forget about them later. It is continual work.” Daily Staff Reporter Alyssa Tisch can be reached at tischaa@umich.edu.

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