Ilyasah Shabazz: “America’s Most Serious Problem”

Hear the daughter of Malcom X speak at MSU on “America’s most serious problem—the race problem.”

Shabazz will participate in a facilitated discussion with audience members on the life of Malcolm X, led by MSU’s John Aerni-Flessner, assistant professor in the Residential College of Arts and Humanities (RCAH). The Erickson Kiva was the site of an important speech delivered by Malcolm X on January 23, 1963.

Shabazz is touring the state as part of the Michigan Humanities Council Great Michigan Read, which selected her “X: A Novel” for its 2017-18 program. The novel, co-authored by young adult writer Kekla Magoon, is a fictionalized version of the life of a young Malcolm X, then Malcolm Little, who lived in Lansing and Mason from 1928-40. The book has been called a “tale of reinvention and redemption” about one of the most important civil rights leaders of the 20th century, and was a 2016 Michigan Notable Book.

At the event, Shabazz will also participate in unveiling a plaque at the Erickson Kiva, recognizing her father’s 1963 speech.

Parking is available for free after 6:00 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, RCAH, the Historical Society of Greater Lansing, the Michigan Humanities Council and the Office of Cultural & Academic Transitions and the Office of  Student Affairs & Services.