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Betty Shabazz
Educator, Civil Rights Advocate, Wife of Malcolm X
Wife of Malcolm X who was present at his assassination at the Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965, shielded their four daughters during the shooting, and spent the rest of her life as an educator and advocate for civil rights and racial justice
Overview
Betty Dean Sanders Shabazz (1934-1997) was an American educator, civil rights advocate, and the wife of Malcolm X. Born in Detroit and raised in a foster home, she studied at the Tuskegee Institute before transferring to the School of Nursing in New York City, where she met Malcolm X at a Nation of Islam temple in 1956. They married in 1958 and had six daughters together. On February 21, 1965, Betty was seated in the front row of the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights, Manhattan, with her four oldest daughters when gunmen rushed the stage and assassinated Malcolm X. She threw herself over her children to shield them from gunfire. After his death, she raised their six daughters alone, including twins born seven months after the assassination. She earned a PhD in education administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1975 and became a professor at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, where she served as director of institutional advancement. In 1995, her daughter Qubilah was charged with plotting to hire a hitman to kill Louis Farrakhan, whom the family believed was involved in Malcolm X assassination. The charges were later dropped in a plea deal. In 1997, Betty was severely burned when her 12-year-old grandson Malcolm Shabazz set a fire in her apartment in Yonkers, New York. She suffered burns over 80% of her body and died three weeks later on June 23, 1997, at age 63. In 2021, the Manhattan District Attorney vacated the convictions of Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam for Malcolm X murder, acknowledging that the FBI and NYPD had withheld evidence that would have led to their acquittal, partially vindicating Betty decades-long insistence that the full truth had been suppressed.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Present at the Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965, when three gunmen assassinated Malcolm X; she shielded her four daughters from gunfire during the attack
Spent decades insisting the full truth about Malcolm X assassination was being suppressed by the FBI and NYPD, claims vindicated in 2021 when convictions were vacated
Her daughter Qubilah Shabazz was charged in 1995 with plotting to kill Louis Farrakhan, who the family believed was connected to Malcolm X murder; charges were dropped
Suffered fatal burns in June 1997 when her 12-year-old grandson Malcolm Shabazz started a fire in her Yonkers apartment; she died three weeks later
The FBI COINTELPRO program specifically targeted Malcolm X and his family; the FBI maintained surveillance files on Betty that were partially released under FOIA decades later
Related Investigations (1)
Known Associates & Connections
Malcolm X
Husband, assassinated February 21, 1965 at the Audubon Ballroom while she and their daughters were present
Louis Farrakhan
Nation of Islam leader whose rhetoric Betty and others believed helped create the climate for Malcolm X assassination
Elijah Muhammad
Nation of Islam leader who expelled Malcolm X and whose organization was implicated in the assassination
Sources & Documentation
3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Rickford, R. - Betty Shabazz: A Remarkable Story of Survival and Faith Before and After Malcolm X (Sourcebooks)(2003)
New York Times: Dr. Betty Shabazz, 61, a Rights Advocate and Widow of Malcolm X, Obituary(1997-06-24)
New York Times: 2 Men Exonerated in Assassination of Malcolm X(2021-11-18)
Personal Information
- Born
- 1934-05-28
- Birthplace
- Detroit, Michigan
Education
- •Tuskegee Institute (nursing studies)
- •Jersey City State College (B.A. in Public Health Education, 1972)
- •University of Massachusetts Amherst (PhD in Education Administration, 1975)
Key Timeline
1934-05-28
Born Betty Dean Sanders in Detroit, Michigan
1956
Meets Malcolm X at Nation of Islam Temple No. 7 in Harlem
1958-01-14
Marries Malcolm X in Lansing, Michigan
1964-03-08
Malcolm X publicly breaks with the Nation of Islam; the family begins receiving death threats
1965-02-14
Family home in East Elmhurst, Queens, is firebombed; Betty and the children escape
1965-02-21
Witnesses the assassination of Malcolm X at the Audubon Ballroom while shielding their four daughters from gunfire
1965-11-17
Gives birth to twin daughters Malaak and Malikah, seven months after Malcolm assassination
1975
Earns PhD in Education Administration from University of Massachusetts Amherst
1976
Joins faculty at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn as professor and director of institutional advancement
1995-01
Daughter Qubilah Shabazz charged with conspiracy to murder Louis Farrakhan; charges later dropped in plea deal
1997-06-01
Severely burned when grandson Malcolm Shabazz sets fire in her Yonkers apartment; suffers burns over 80% of her body
1997-06-23
Dies at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx at age 63 from burn injuries
2021-11-18
Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. vacates the convictions of Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam, acknowledging FBI and NYPD suppressed evidence, vindicating Betty decades-long claims