Malikah Shabazz, daughter of civil rights leader Malcolm X was found dead in her New York City residence on Monday (Nov. 22). According to CNN, the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed Shabazz’s daughter found her unconscious in her Brooklyn home. Law enforcement believes the death appears to be due to natural causes. Shabazz was 56 years old.
“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,” wrote Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. “Be at peace, Malikah.”
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
The death comes just as two men convicted of the murder of Malcolm X were exonerated. Muhammed Aziz and Khalil Islam had their convictions overturned last week, after spending decades behind bars. Aziz was issued parole in 1985 while Islam was released from prison in 1987 and passed away in 2009. The exonerations are the result of a 22-month joint investigation that found the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the NYP withheld key evidence.
“This points to the truth that law enforcement over history has often failed to live up to its responsibilities,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. “These men did not get the justice that they deserved.”
According to The New York Times, Shabazz and her siblings Attallah, Qubilah, Ilyasah, Gamilah, and Malaak have always questioned the investigation and circumstances surrounding their father’s death and the roles government officials may have played in the murder.
“Full justice will not be served until all parties involved in the orchestrated killing of our father are identified and brought to justice,” said Ilyasah Shabazz. She was 3 years old at the time of the shooting and present for the fatal event. “It is our hope that finally the full truth can be learned.”