Oral History Interview with Malik Shabazz on October 17, 2020

Title

Oral History Interview with Malik Shabazz on October 17, 2020

Creator

Dream Storytelling Project Team

Date

2020

Description

Oral history interview with Malik Shabazz conducted by Zayd Walid on October 17, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Zayd Walid. Malik Shabazz was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan to parents who hailed from Mississippi and Illinois. Shabazz grew up in a close-knit African American community around Waverly Street, the neighborhood where the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center is now located. He attended the neighborhood’s Longfellow Elementary School and graduated from Central High School. Shabazz was active in the Civil Rights Movement, marching on Washington in 1963 with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He joined the United States Navy in 1966 and served until 1968. Inspired by the teachings of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, Shabazz reverted to Islam in 1975, and began attending Temple No. 1, which later became Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad. Shabazz is an advocate for patronizing black-owned businesses and a “do for self” philosophy. In 1985, he helped establish the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center, taking a hands-on approach to its renovation. Throughout his life, Shabazz has contributed actively to Detroit’s Muslim community. He particularly advocates for outreach to young African American Muslims through mosque programming. In the interview, Shabazz reflects on his experiences growing up in Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s. He discusses his memories of the Civil Rights movement and elaborates on his experiences during the 1967 Detroit Rebellion. Shabazz expresses his hopes for the continued reinvigoration of Detroit’s African American Muslim institutions, particularly its mosques, schools, neighborhoods, and businesses.

Subject

1963 March on Washington
1967 Detroit Rebellion
African-American community
African American history
African-American Muslims
Imam Nadir Ahmad
Al-Ikhlas Training Academy
Muhammad Ali
Arabic language education
Arson
Black Christian Nationalists (BCN)
Black Panther Party
Black-owned business
Central High School
Childhood games
Christianity
Civil Rights Movement
Rev. Albert B. Cleage Jr
Community building
Conversion to Islam
COVID-19 pandemic
Davison Freeway
Dawah
Detroit
Detroit Common Council
Devil's Night
Dexter Street
Do for self
Drug epidemic
Durfee Junior High School
East St. Louis
Economic decline
El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz
Aretha Franklin
Rev. C. L. Franklin
Fruit of Islam (FOI)
Great Society programs
Hajj
Halal food
Erma Henderson
Historic Masjid Wali Muhammad
Rev. Jim Holley
‘I Have a Dream' speech
Illinois
Intergenerational relations
Islam
Islam in America
Islamic parochial school
Jewish-owned businesses
President Lyndon B. Johnson
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Linwood neighborhood
Linwood Street
Longfellow Elementary School
Malcom X
Masonic Temple
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Imam Warith Deen Mohammed
Mosque
Mosque building
‘Muhammad Speaks'
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad
Municipal government
Muslim Americans
Muslim Center expansion
Muslim Center Jazz Cafe
Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center
Muslims
Nation of Islam
Neighborhood relations
Neighborhood revitalization
New Medinah Islamic Community
New York City
Newport
Oak Park
Police brutality
Adam Clayton Powell Jr
Qur'an
Racism
Ramadan fasting
Representing Islam
Reversion to Islam
Rhode Island
Riots
Rosa Parks Boulevard
Bobby Seale
Mitchell Shamsud-Din
Shrine of the Black Madonna
Sister Clara Muhammad Schools
Southfield
Sports
St. Louis
Sunni Islam
Temple No. 1
The Temptations
Senator Rashida Tlaib
Trans-Atlantic slave trade
U.S. Navy
United States Armed Forces
United States Congress
United States Senate
Waverly Street
Waynesboro
Wildemere Street
Women's role in Islam
Mayor Coleman Young
Youth outreach
African American Studies
Africana Studies
American Studies
Civic and Community Engagement
Digital Humanities
Inequality and Stratification
Islamic Studies
Nonprofit Administration and Management
Politics and Social Change
Race and Ethnicity
Religion
Urban Studies and Planning

Source

Michigan Service Hub

Relation

https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dream-storytelling-interviews/1016/thumbnail.jpg

Type

text

References

https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dream-storytelling-interviews/17

Citation

Dream Storytelling Project Team, “Oral History Interview with Malik Shabazz on October 17, 2020,” Center for Knit and Crochet Digital Repository, accessed October 18, 2026, https://digital.centerforknitandcrochet.org/items/show/38760.

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