Fifty-six years after his assassination, African-American activist Malcolm X is back in the news around the world.
The uproar generated by the acquittal of the two main defendants in his death was added in the last hours a shocking fact: Malikah Shabazz , the youngest of his daughters, was found lifeless on the floor of her house in Brooklyn, New York.
While waiting for the autopsy to determine the causes of her death, according to the local newspaper ‘The New York Post’, the investigators do not suspect that some violent practice has caused the death of the 56-year-old woman.
According to preliminary information, Bettih Shabazz, her eldest daughter, the one who found Malikah Shabazz dead.
Bernice King, daughter of the historical civilista leader Martin Luther King , with whom Malcolm X had concordances and disputes, was one of the first to express her condolences.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of Malikah Shabazz. My heart goes out to her family, the descendants of Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X. Dr. Shabazz was pregnant with Malikah and her twin sister, Malaak, when brother Malcolm was murdered. Stay in peace, Malikah, ”he wrote on Twitter.
I’m deeply saddened by the death of #MalikahShabazz. My heart goes out to her family, the descendants of Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X.
Dr. Shabazz was pregnant with Malikah and her twin sister, Malaak, when Brother Malcolm was assassinated.
Be at peace, Malikah. pic.twitter.com/YOlYoW4xDC
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) November 23, 2021
Until then, Shabazz had been featured in the American press in the context of the extensive dispute over the inheritance of Malcolm X and his wife.
In fact, some New York media have reported that Malikah was accused of posing as the widow of one of her father’s bodyguards in order to steal close to $ 30,000 (today more than 100 million Colombian pesos).
In 2017, along with her daughter, she was arrested on charges of animal cruelty in the state of Maryland, according to information from ‘The New York Post’.
The legacy of Malcolm X
Malcolm Little, who changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz when he converted to Islam, went down in history as one of the great defenders of the rights of the African population in the United States under the nickname Malcolm X.
Their struggle, linked to the historical background of the religion practiced by Muslims, represented a turning point for the civilist cry in the 1950s and 1960s.
Although he was accused by some comrades of struggle for alleged extremism, among his great feats was involving black figures from the American media scene, not without disputes, in the fight for their rights.
The historic boxer Cassius Clay, enshrined as Muhammad Ali , and Jim Brown , a prominent American football player, were some of the most iconic.
Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965 during a public speech.