Malcolm X’s daughter to speak as SC State hosts Black Women Lead luncheon on March 28
Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, an award-winning author, educator and producer, will speak to SC State students about women empowerment. It will be a day of empowerment for women to network, learn and to get inspired. Shabazz is a daughter of slain civil rights icon Malcolm X and his late wife, Dr. Betty Shabazz.
The luncheon is a collaborative effort of the SC State Office of Student Life and Leadership and Dedicated Outstanding Ladies Living Strong (D.O.L.L.S.).
Shabazz holds a Master of Science degree in education and human resource development from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz). She is an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
She has authored five historical novels and served as project advisor for the PBS award-winning documentary, “Prince Among Slaves.” She is producing a television series based on her latest publication, “The Awakening of Malcolm X,” with Sony Pictures Television’s TriStar.
Shabazz is chairperson of the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center Board of Trustees. In her work to preserve the legacy of her parents, she has dedicated herself to institution-building and intergenerational leadership development with the tenants of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has furthered her community impact with the SUNY New Paltz Office of Academic Affairs, where she created curriculum to encourage higher education for underserved, inner-city, and marginalized high school dropouts.
She has worked with the Office of the Mayor in Mount Vernon, as Director of Public Affairs & Special Events. She founded and produced a young adult development program to provide historical context on social justice — encouraging personal empowerment and community service as a way of life. As president and founder of Ilyasah Shabazz Enterprises, she produces a variety of forums dedicated to power, possibility and sovereignty.
Shabazz is a member of the Soar Higher Cabinet Committee for SUNY New Paltz College, the Advisory Council for the Equal Rights Amendment Coalition, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, and she serves as a trustee for the Harlem Symphony Orchestra.
In recognition of her outstanding achievements in public service, education, and the arts, Worcester State University granted Shabazz with a degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. As the inaugural Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Fellow, Shabazz teaches the course, “We the People.” Grounded in the commitments of her parents, Shabazz emphasizes empowerment and inclusion in her teaching and scholarship.