Filed under: //www.bvblackspin.com/category/news/” rel=”tag”>News, //www.bvblackspin.com/category/race-and-civil-rights/” rel=”tag”>Race and Civil Rights
Malikah Shabazz, youngest daughter of ic human rights activist, El Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (Malcolm X), has been extradited from North Carolina to New York City to face criminal charges stemming from the 2009 identity theft of a family friend.
Shabazz, who holds a Ph.D in Educational Administration and Human Development, will stand trial in Queens, NY for possession of stolen property, grand larceny, forgery, and criminal possession of forged instruments.
On February 22, one day after the 46th anniversary of her father’s death, Shabazz was //www.bvblackspin.com/2011/02/22/arrest-of-malcolm-xs-daughter-casts-another-shadow-on-his-legac/”>arrested for her crimes against the widow of her father’s bodyguard, who was with Malcolm X when he was assassinated in the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, NY.
“She used the fake identity to charge more than $55,000 in the victim’s name between August 2006 and November 2007,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. The alleged theft represents a shameful betrayal of the friendship that existed between the two families.
Shabazz’s crimes were revealed when investigators, responding to a misleading report of truancy in her Mars Hill, North Carolina home, discovered a warrant for her arrest. Shabazz’s thirteen-year-old daughter was inside the home being properly home schooled, but the investigators were searching for a previous resident.
The beginning of February found several of the Shabazz sisters //www.bvblackspin.com/2011/02/11/malcolm-x-family-feud-over-his-estate-escalates/”>continuing their protracted fight over portions of their parents’ estate, with the proceedings escalating into accusations of theft, irresponsibility and “mental incapacity.”
Regardless of the arguments and legal battles, though, Shabazz’s five sisters were ready to hop a flight to North Carolina until they were informed by Malikah’s attorney that she would probably be returning to New York.
“We’re all sisters, despite the false and vicious reports put out in the media,” twin sister Malaak Shabazz said Tuesday. “We love her and our niece dearly. We’ll get through this.”
From Qubilah Shabazz’s attempted assassination of Minister Louis Farrakhan for his alleged involvement in her father’s murder, to the murder of Dr. Betty Shabazz by her grandson, Malcolm, this family has endured more pain than any one group of people ever should.
In her autobiographical book, “Growing Up X,” Ilyasah Shabazz offers a rare glimpse into the lives of one of Black America’s most revered families. The searing revelation that all the girls, Attallah, Qubilah, Gamilah, and twins Malikah and Malaak, had to live in silence with their mother holding on to Malcolm’s memory, often speaking of him in present tense, paints Malikah in an entirely different light.
When I was 1 year old, my mother passed away suddenly at 29 years old, so I’ve lived in a family with unresolved grief issues. I empathize with her because I know how it feels to be the baby, and for everyone to try to protect you from yourself and painful memories. Even though the gaping hole left by the parent you never knew grows wider each time a stranger mentions their impact in everyone’s life, all the “baby” can do is smile, because how dare we own grief we have no right to feel?
Maybe it’s time that Malikah is allowed to own her grief; I can’t ever imagine her finding peace until she does so.
In 2009, I had the distinct honor of having a conversation with Attallah Shabazz at a Young Black Contractors of America Dinner in Carson, California; and to listen to her speak about her father’s legacy was one of the single most transforming moments in my life. I saw wisdom, intelligence, and kindness in her eyes, and I have complete confidence that with time, she can sew her family back together.
Let the money go, sisters. The most important thing to do is preserve your parents’ legacy. It is alive and well in each one of you, and burns brightest when you’re all united. Don’t let it die.
***Dr. Malikah Shabazz’s lawyer says his client denies the charges. Her case has been adjourned to March 15.
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