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Religion & Spirituality
Community pays final respects at janaza/funeral for Malikah Shabazz
Ilyasah Shabazz
By NAYABA ARINDE
Amsterdam News Editor
Hundreds of people braved the cold to attend the janaza funeral at The Islamic Cultural Center for Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz’s daughter Malikah Shabazz.
It was a short service. Respectfully the attendees honored all protocols while quietly giving the assembled Shabazz family their space at the front close to their sister’s casket. Following behind the brotherhood who wheeled it to the hearse parked on 3rd Avenue at 96th Street, some folk headed to the burial at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale. There both Shabazz daughters’ parents Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz are laid to rest. Malcolm Shabazz (son of Quibilah Shabazz) is also interred close to his grandparents’ grave.
The repast was held at the Shabazz Center (once known as The Audubon Ballroom).
Malikah Shabazz, 56, was found unresponsive at her Midwood, Brooklyn home on Monday, Nov. 22 2021. She was pronounced deceased there according to the police. They determined almost immediately that it was death by “natural causes.”
Malikah Shabazz was the twin sister of Malaak Shabazz, Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) and Dr. Betty Shabazz’s youngest daughters.
Minister Arthur Muhammad of Harlem’s Muhammad Mosque No. 7 told the Amsterdam News, “I saw many different Muslims and those of other faiths assembled to make prayers and to honor the life of a wonderful soul, whose family served the Black community and humanity in general faithfully. May Allah be pleased with Sister Malikah Shabazz. From Allah we come and to Allah we return.”
Muhammad concluded, “I
Meanwhile, shortly after her death, the Shabazz family through Ilyasah Shabazz said in a statement sent to the Amsterdam News, “In this time of deep sadness from the loss of our beloved Baby sister, Malikah Sabaan Shabazz, our family extends heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of kindness we have received from so many well-wishers from 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 el-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 Sabaan. Blessings and peace be unto you. The Shabazz Family.”
(Hakim Mutlaq photo)
Reports indicate that Mayorelect Eric Adams’ top contender for schools chancellor is David Banks, the founding principal for the Eagle Academy for Young Men. Adams is expected to make an announcement on his choice after he returns from his trip to Ghana.
“The next mayor gets to do what the next mayor gets to do, and I’m going to support this system no matter what because my heart is in ensuring that our families and communities are served well,” Porter said during the interview.
Porter was the executive superintendent of the Bronx school districts before being appointed to chancellor. She came on the job as the city’s school system continued to pull over 1 million students through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Throughout her entire career, Meisha Porter has shown up for the children of New York City,” de Blasio said in a statement. “Together, we fully reopened our schools, launched a historic academic recovery for students, and made unprecedented gains for equity in our school communities. She has worked tirelessly and fearlessly to make sure our kids get the high-quality education they deserve.”
A New York City public school graduate with over 20 years of experience in education, Porter is a native of South Jamaica, Queens coming from a family of educators including her mother. She taught at the Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice where she became the principal. Porter faced many challenges when she came on as the city battled the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation threw a curve ball on education nationally with fears of students not only being behind but also suffering with the mental health fallout from the pandemic.
“I think it makes a difference in understanding that New York City, this school system is like no other—first of all, the size of the school system is beyond any other school system in the country,” Porter said during Wednesday’s interview. “But I also think having relationships with teachers, with leaders, with principals, with elected officials, particularly in this moment, in the pandemic, when we needed to partner with community-based organizations, I think stepping into this role having those relationships, knowing our system, knowing our city, is critically important.”
In a joint statement, Bronx Community Foundation founders and brothers Derrick Lewis and Desmon Lewis said Porter is wellqualified to take over as CEO. community and country. Indeed, she was formidable in meeting the needs of her community, including by advocating for Haitian immigrants and refugees and creating economic opportunities for working families in her district.”
She was 66 when she won the 1992 Democratic congressional primary in her Miami-Dade County district and later ran unopposed in the general election race. A descendant of a slave, she became one of the first Black Floridians elected to Congress since Reconstruction. As a child her parents told her anything was possible, and she recalled their encouragement after her victory in 1992: “They always said the day would come when we would be recognized for our character,” she told the press.
Meek was a tireless advocate for affirmative action, Haitian immigrants, and general economic opportunities for the underserved. Many of her successes on these endeavors occurred during her membership on the House Appropriations Committee, particularly her work securing $100 million in aid to rebuild Dade County as it recovered from Hurricane Andrew that raged through the region in the summer of 1992.
Her fellow Floridian in the House, the late Alcee Hastings, often celebrated her life and career, noting, “Only in America can the granddaughter of a slave and the daughter of a former sharecropper believe she can achieve and conquer all that presents itself in opposition to her dreams,” he said in 2003. Hastings, who died in April, insisted that Meek “set the stage and perpetuated the legacy of political astuteness for all of us, but particularly for African American women everywhere.”
“At her core, she was an educator and I’m thankful for all that I learned from her,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks.
Meek was indeed a prominent educator, the first Black professor at MiamiDade Community College, and a state senator before winning a congressional seat, which she held for six terms before declining to run in 2002. Her son, Kendrick, won the seat and held it for four terms until 2010.
Along with her son, she is survived by her daughters Lucia-Davis-Raiford and Sheila Davis Kinui, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
“Dr. Meisha Porter’s qualifications speak for themselves, but we’re most excited that her actions both as chancellor and as a daughter of The Bronx speak to the values of the Foundation: Community, Equity & Justice, Economic Security and Health,” they said. “Dr. Porter epitomizes The Bronx! We couldn’t be more thrilled to have her lead us into our next era.”
