On Jan. 26, the Office of Pluralism and Leadership and Tucker Center for Spiritual and Ethical Life co-hosted author Ilyasah Shabazz — the daughter of Black nationalist leader Malcolm X — for a keynote address titled “Honoring a Legacy.” Shabazz’s address was part of a two-day celebration commemorating the 60th anniversary of Malcolm X’s visit to campus in 1965.
Approximately 118 individuals attended the keynote address in Cook Auditorium, according to OPAL program coordinator and Black and Pan-African student advisor Ashley Audu.
Ahmed Osman ’65, a personal friend of Malcolm X who had invited him to speak on campus 60 years ago, opened the event by introducing Shabazz over a Zoom call. According to Audu, Osman worked with OPAL and the Tucker Center to organize the commemorative event.
“[OPAL] had done previous programs with [Osman] in the years before … recognizing the work of Malcolm X,” Audu said. “He had recognized that it was about to be the 60th anniversary, and so he had that connection with [Shabazz’s] agent. We were able to set [the event] up.”
Following Osman’s introduction, Shabazz recounted the speech her father gave at the College, just 26 days before she witnessed his assassination on Feb. 21, 1965.
“My young father addressed a packed audience, challenging the students to confront the hypocrisy of racial inequality and urging them to see the struggle for civil rights as inseparable from the need for human rights,” Shabazz said.
According to Shabazz, her father’s legacy includes his introduction of “a human rights agenda to the Civil Rights Movement.”
“When [Malcolm X] spoke of human rights, he spoke of a universal dignity that traces our humanity back to the cradle of civilization,” Shabazz said. “He understood what scientists, anthropologists and archeologists have now proven — that Africa is not just a part of our story. It is our story.”
Shabazz added that she hopes institutions like Dartmouth will contribute to producing “generations of problem solvers who embrace holistic approaches to human rights.”
“As students, educators and administrators, we share the responsibility of organizing networks that uplift those who cannot stand for themselves,” Shabazz said.
Shabazz concluded her address by calling the audience to “build bridges” and “work together” to achieve Malcolm X’s “vision of justice and equality.”
“Let us replace division with unity, apathy with action and fear with hope,” Shabazz said. “Together, we have the power to build a world that reflects the ethical principles of liberty and justice for all.”
After her speech, Shabazz participated in a Q&A moderated by Muslim Student Association president and African Students Association director of development Oumiekhari Fatty-Hydara ’27. Before inviting audience members to ask their questions, Fatty-Hydara opened with several of her own, asking Shabazz how students can create a “culture of collaboration for the greater good.”
Shabazz said students should understand “our shared human story” — what she had described during her keynote address as a reframed historical narrative tracing all humanity back to Africa, the “cradle of the most advanced civilizations.”
“When we understand the truths in our human story … we look at ourselves differently,” Shabazz said. “We look at others as a reflection of ourselves.”
In an interview after the event, Fatty-Hydara said she chose her questions with the knowledge that she was “representing … the Dartmouth student body.”
“I wanted the questions to be able to embody things that … would help instill courage and value in the Dartmouth students that were participating and … be reflective of work that we’ve been doing on campus to help build a more inclusive community,” Fatty-Hydara said.
After the Q&A shifted to questions from community members, Tucker Center chaplain Nancy Vogele ’85 asked Shabazz to elaborate on her notion of “self-love,” which she had previously described as “paramount.” Vogele explained in an interview with The Dartmouth after the event that she wanted to hear Shabazz’s thoughts because students often tell her that they “don’t feel like they have worth.”
“I just see how much they’re looking for their worth externally in achievement,” Vogele said. “I believe … we are worthy, and we are loved … and nothing can take that away.”
In response, Shabazz explained that it is important for education to instill “honesty,” “compassion” and “love” in students so that they realize their worth.
“But I think that the challenge [is] understanding who we are as individuals, each one of us understanding who we are in our totality and having the opportunity to love and appreciate that,” Shabazz said.
After the Q&A, Shabazz signed copies of her books and spoke to audience members at a reception in Stell Hall. Attendee Munachiso Mmuo ’28 said her main takeaway from the event was the advice Shabazz gave her during the signing.
“She told me that to spread inclusivity around the world and in our country is just to go out and find a community of like-minded individuals,” Mmuo said. “Just do it and not have any fear.”
