Malcolm X’s daughter encourages Tampa kids to learn, contribute

TAMPA — Ilyasah Shabazz was only 2 years old when her father, controversial human rights activist Malcolm X, was killed. But she carries on his message of black pride.

Hours before she would speak at a banquet at the new Robert W. Saunders Public Library, Shabazz on Saturday afternoon read to about 20 local children involved with the Greater Tampa Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, a group that caters to black youth. She read “Malcolm Little,” a children’s book she wrote about her father’s upbringing.

Shabazz said she wants children to know about the important role blacks have played in U.S. history.

“It’s extremely important to know the significant contribution African people made to this country. African Americans today should not only appreciate but should honor it so much,” she told news reporters before the reading. “We all made a contribution, not just Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.”  read more