Decades have passed since the assassination of Malcolm X, yet his impact continues through his six daughters: Attallah, Qubilah, Ilyasah, Gamilah Lumumba, Malikah, and Malaak.
The civil rights activist first encountered Betty Sanders in 1956 when she joined his temple, where he served as chief minister, as noted in Russell J. Rickford’s 2003 book Betty Shabazz: Surviving Malcolm X. Two years later, he proposed to her during a phone call from a gas station, and they tied the knot on January 14, 1958, subsequently adopting the surname Shabazz.
Malcolm X’s daughters, including Ilyasah Shabazz, grew up with their mother Betty emphasizing his loving nature, not just his iconic status
The couple’s journey as parents began with the birth of Attallah in 1958, followed by Qubilah in 1960, and Ilyasah in 1962. Their fourth daughter, Gamilah, born in 1964, was an infant when she witnessed her father’s assassination on February 21, 1965. At the time of Malcolm’s death, Betty was pregnant with twins, Malikah and Malaak, who were born in September that same year.
Ilyasah reflected on her upbringing in a 2015 interview with The Harvard Law Record, sharing that their mother focused more on their father’s personal qualities rather than his role in the civil rights movement.
She emphasized, “Before we understood the icon that is Malcolm X, our mother made sure we knew him primarily as ‘Daddy’ or ‘Mommy’s husband,’ the loving and compassionate man. It was at school where I learned about him as one of the leaders in the civil rights movement.”
So, who are the daughters of Malcolm X? Here’s a closer look at Attallah Shabazz, Qubilah Shabazz, Ilyasah Shabazz, Gamilah Lumumba Shabazz, Malikah Shabazz, and Malaak Shabazz.
Attallah Shabazz, the eldest at 65, was born on November 16, 1958, in New York City. While Russell Rickford claims her name is derived from Attila the Hun, Attallah has stated it means “the gift of God” in Arabic.
At just six years old, she witnessed her father’s assassination during a Harlem rally. In a 1983 interview with PEOPLE, she recounted the traumatic experience, stating, “I had — and still have — flashbacks. I would bump into people from the Nation of Islam, and I thought they were going to do the same thing to me.”
In Betty Shabazz: Surviving Malcolm X, it’s noted that Attallah became a mother in high school, with her mother caring for the child until Attallah graduated, after which the baby was placed for adoption.
In 1979, Attallah formed a close bond with Yolanda King, Dr. Martin Luther King’s eldest daughter, leading to the creation of a theater troupe called Nucleus, which performed in 50 cities annually for a decade. Describing her father, Attallah stated, “It was wholesome, it was quaint… As grand a nationalist as Malcolm X was, he was an even grander parent. He was big fun.”
The family’s second daughter, Qubilah, was born on December 25, 1960. Named after the 13th-century emperor Kubla Khan, she was just four years old when the family home was firebombed on February 14, 1965, an event that prompted her to alert her parents.
After graduating from high school in Manhattan, Qubilah briefly attended Princeton University before dropping out and moving to Paris, where she worked as a translator and had a son named Malcolm Shabazz in honor of her father.
In 1995, Qubilah faced legal troubles when she was arrested for conspiring to murder Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, whom she and Betty believed was responsible for Malcolm’s assassination.
After accepting a plea deal, she completed a two-year drug and psychiatric program. Following a series of disagreements, she sent her son to live with Betty, but tragedy struck in 1997 when her son, then 12, accidentally started a fire in Betty’s home, leading to her death from severe burns. Malcolm was later incarcerated for arson and manslaughter. Tragically, he was murdered in Mexico City in 2013.
Ilyasah, their third daughter, was born on July 22, 1962, and named after Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam. At the age of two, she lost her father and has no memories of the event. She pursued higher education, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from the State University of New York at New Paltz and later a master’s in education and human resource development from Fordham University.
In addition to her career as a professor, Ilyasah has authored several books that honor her father’s legacy, including the memoir Growing Up X, nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 2003. In a 2020 interview, she expressed her desire to continue sharing her father’s message, emphasizing that perceptions of him as angry or violent are misguided: “People used to say, Malcolm — he was angry, he was violent. Now we’re able to see he simply had a profound reaction to injustice.”
The fourth daughter, Gamilah Lumumba, was born on July 1, 1964. Named after the assassinated Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba, she studied theater arts in college and briefly pursued a rap career but generally kept a low profile.
In 2018, The New Yorker reported that she and her sisters had launched a clothing line called Malcolm X Legacy to reclaim their father’s message, which they felt had been misappropriated. Gamilah shared in Betty Shabazz: Surviving Malcolm X that although she didn’t know Malcolm personally, his spirit influenced her life: “He was there… Society has given you the impression that you’re supposed to see a ghost. But you can feel something guiding you.”
Malikah, born on September 30, 1965, just seven months after her father’s assassination, shares a name derived from Malcolm’s Arabic name, Malik. Following high school, she studied architecture and later founded a mentorship organization for African students. In January 1998, she welcomed a daughter, Bettih Bahiyah.
Tragically, Malikah was discovered deceased in her Brooklyn apartment on November 23, 2021. According to NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, her death was not suspicious, and she had been ill for some time. She was 56 years old.
Malaak Shabazz, the youngest daughter at 58, was also born on September 30, 1965. Though their father passed away before they were born, Betty ensured they were aware of his legacy. She recounted a poignant moment in a 1969 Ebony essay, recalling how Malaak once pointed to her father’s portrait, proudly identifying him to a friend.
Following high school, Malaak pursued a degree in biochemistry and occasionally discusses her father’s impact. In a 2015 interview with FRANCE 24, she reflected on her father’s potential influence today, suggesting, “Frankly, I don’t think things would be this bad if he was still alive… He was an advocate in every country… There’s really nobody to do that. But it was his passion to make sure injustice was heard.”
