Malcolm Shabazz endured a life of ‘unbearable’ expectations
OPINION - So many in the media have always and will continue to refer to Malcolm Shabazz as 'troubled'...
He loved his family, but very much wanted to be with his mother. Malcolm has refuted some of the psychiatric diagnoses applied to him during the arson case, but it is very likely that his “troubles” were directly connected to his desire to live with his mother – a natural desire for a child – that was effectively taken away from him by the FBI and unresolved tensions surrounding the assassination of his grandfather.
In her poignant memoir, Growing Up X, Malcolm’s aunt, Ilyasah, recounts the fire that killed her mother:
“It was a very small fire at first, set in the hallway just outside of Malcolm’s room. Later, devastated and full of remorse, Malcolm told me he did not intend to hurt anyone, least of all Mommy Betty. He thought she would telephone for help and the fire would be easily extinguished and everyone would see how much he needed to be back in Texas with his mom.”
More recently, Malcolm’s confrontations with the law were becoming increasingly political and/or politicized. According to Shabazz’s website, his travels abroad, especially to the Middle East region (including Syria and Libya, with more recent plans to travel to Iran for a conference) had peaked the interest of the FBI’s Counter-Terrorism Task Force Unit in Goshen, New York, who worked with local law enforcement to harass and question Malcolm, as well as his friends and family.
In this post, dated March 10, 2013, Malcolm speaks. “Given the storm of lies and half-truths that come with being associated with being the descendant of El Hajj Malik el Shabazz, also known as Minister Malcolm X, any and everything that I do; great or small, good or not so good, real or imagined is subject to controversy.” If there is any controversy surrounding the recent death of Malcolm Shabazz, we should remember these words.
All we know at this moment is that Malcolm traveled to Mexico as a part of his efforts to work with Rumec, a labor rights organization – continuing the revolutionary work that was his legacy. Unfortunately he lost his life in this effort and we pray that he rests in peace and power and that his family will find some solace in the “controversy”-laden days ahead.
James Braxton Peterson is the Director of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of English at Lehigh University. He is also the founder of Hip Hop Scholars LLC, an association of hip-hop generation scholars dedicated to researching and developing the cultural and educational potential of hip-hop, urban and youth cultures. You can follow him on Twitter @DrJamesPeterson
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