Malik Zulu Shabazz
Shabazz in 1994
Born
Paris S. Lewis[1]

(1966-09-07) September 7, 1966[1]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationHoward University (B.A., J.D.)
Occupation(s)Lawyer, political activist, lecturer

Malik Zulu Shabazz (born Paris Lewis on September 7, 1966) is an American attorney. He has previously served as Chairman of the New Black Panther Party, which is labeled as a hate group.[2] As of 2013, he is the current National President of Black Lawyers for Justice, which he co-founded.

Shabazz announced on an October 14, 2013, online radio broadcast that he was stepping down from his leadership position in the New Black Panther Party and that Hashim Nzinga, then national chief of staff, would replace him.[3] He is an occasional guest on television talk shows.[4]

The Anti-Defamation League describes Shabazz as "anti-Semitic and racist"[5] and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)'s Intelligence Project's Intelligence Report, which monitors what the SPLC considers radical right (United States) hate groups and extremists in the United States, has included Shabazz in its files[6] since a 2002 Washington, D.C., protest at B'nai B'rith International at which Shabazz shouted: "Kill every goddamn Zionist in Israel! Goddamn little babies, goddamn old ladies! Blow up Zionist supermarkets!".[7]

Shabazz was born in 1966 as Paris Lewis and raised in Los Angeles. Shabazz says his father, James Lewis, was a Muslim who was killed when Shabazz was a child. Shabazz was raised by his mother, whom he describes as a successful businesswoman. His grandfather, who introduced him to the Nation of Islam, was also a strong influence.[8][9]

Shabazz graduated from Howard University and Howard University School of Law.[8] In 1994, Shabazz was fired from a position with then Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, who criticized Shabazz for statements "regarding other people's cultural history, religion and race that do not reflect the spirit of my campaign, my personal views or my spirituality."[7]

In 1995, while he was a law student, Shabazz ran his first unsuccessful campaign for a seat on the Council of the District of Columbia.[9][10] In 1996, Shabazz founded Black Lawyers for Justice.[5] In 1998, Shabazz was named "Young Lawyer of the Year" by the National Bar Association, the nation's leading black lawyers' association,[6] and ran, unsuccessfully again, for a seat on the D.C. Council.[6]

Public attention

Shabazz first came to widespread public attention in 1994, when Unity Nation, a student group he founded at Howard University, invited Khalid Abdul Muhammad, chairman of the New Black Panther Party, to speak.[11][12] Introducing the speaker, Shabazz engaged in a call and response with the audience:

Who is it that caught and killed Nat Turner?
The Jews!
Who is it that controls the Federal Reserve?
The Jews!
Who is it that has our entertainers ... and our athletes in a vise grip?
The Jews![10]

A year later, Shabazz told an interviewer that everything he said was true, with the possible exception of the assertion concerning Nat Turner.[9]

In 2002, as a spokesman for the Black Panthers, Shabazz played a crucial role in the capture of the D.C. Snipers, by encouraging people to get outside and not to live in fear.[13]

New Black Panther Party

Shabazz followed Muhammad's lead and joined the New Black Panther Party about 1997. When Muhammad, who greatly expanded the organization and rose to its chairmanship, died in early 2001, Shabazz took over as National Chairman.[6]

The principles Shabazz purports to promote include the following:

Prevented from entering Canada

In May 2007, Shabazz was invited by Black Youth Taking Action (BYTA)[16] to speak at a rally at Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and to give a lecture to students at Ryerson University.[17] Shabazz arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport as planned but Canada border officials prevented him from entering Canada because of past rhetoric that violated Canadian hate laws.[18] Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty expressed concern about Shabazz.[19] The press reported that Shabazz was denied entry to Canada because of a minor criminal record.[20] Shabazz flew back to Buffalo, New York, and attempted to cross the border by car, but border agents spotted him and again prevented him from entering Canada.[21]

2015 demonstrations in Baltimore

Shabazz helped organize and promote a demonstration in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 25, 2015, following the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American man who died while in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department. Addressing the crowd, Shabazz called for them to "Shut it down if you want to! Shut it down!"[22]

Shabazz planned another protest on May 2, 2015. Some in Baltimore who had been involved with the peaceful protests expressed concerns to The Baltimore Sun about his involvement. Rev. Alvin S. Gwynn Jr., who leads the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Baltimore, described Shabazz as an "outside agitator" and another local pastor, Rev. Louis Wilson, said Shabazz does not speak for all African-Americans. Wilson added, "I've talked to people who wish he'd just stay away."[23]

References

  1. 1 2 California Birth Index
  2. ↑ "Southern Poverty Law Center". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  3. ↑ "New Black Panther Party Announces New Chairman, Same Hateful Message". Access ADL. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Williams, Kam (January 15, 2009). "The New Black Panther Party". Memphis Tri-State Defender. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 "Malik Zulu Shabazz". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Beirich, Heidi; Potok, Mark (Fall 2003). "40 to Watch". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Malik Zulu Shabaz". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Fenner, Austin (September 5, 1998). "Afrocentric Lawyer Force Behind the Youth March". Daily News. Archived from the original on October 10, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Plotz, David (April 21, 1995). "The Revolutionary's War". Washington City Paper. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  10. 1 2 Hentoff, Nat (September 29, 1998). "Keep Your Eye on Malik Shabazz". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  11. ↑ Kitwana, Bakari (2002). The Hip-Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American Culture. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-786-72493-2.
  12. ↑ Masters, Brooke A. (February 25, 1994). "Ex-Farrakhan Aide Gets Mixed Reaction on Howard Campus". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  13. ↑ The Lost Tapes - Dc Sniper | Smithsonian Channel, December 3, 2018, retrieved May 31, 2023
  14. ↑ Muhammad, Ashahed (March 10, 2005). "One-on-One: An Interview with Malik Zulu Shabazz". The Final Call. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  15. 1 2 Muhammad, Ashahed M. "TEI Exclusive Interview with Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz". The Truth Establishment Institute. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Groups decry visit by New Black Panther leader". Toronto Star. May 14, 2007.
  17. ↑ Morrow, Adrian (August 21, 2007). "U.S. activist accused of anti-semitism invited to speak at Ryerson". The Eyeopener. Archived from the original on May 26, 2008.
  18. ↑ Greenberg, Lee (May 16, 2007). "Black activist barred from entering Canada". CanWest News Service. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009.
  19. ↑ "Black Panther leader refused entry into Canada". CTV News. May 15, 2007.
  20. ↑ CBC News (May 15, 2007). "Black activist denied entry to Canada, group says". Canada Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
  21. ↑ Brean, Joseph (May 16, 2007). "Black Panther stopped at border". National Post. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009.
  22. ↑ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; Babcock, Stephen (April 25, 2015). "Scenes of Chaos in Baltimore as Thousands Protest Freddie Gray's Death". The New York Times. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  23. ↑ Pitts, Jonathan (April 28, 2015). "Shabazz plans rally for thousands Saturday". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.

Further reading

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