Ilyasah Shabazz

(pronounced ILL-YAH-SAH SHAH-BOZZ) is an author, producer, and motivational speaker as she lectures to capacity audiences across the United States. Her coming-of-age Random House publication, Growing Up X, won critical acclaim, including an NAACP Image Award nomination, BET best book list, and United Press International book of the week. With an avid following of readers, two new releases are slated for 2013—a children’s book with Simon & Schuster Publishing and a young adult book yet to be determined.

Ilyasah produced training programs to encourage higher education for at-risk youth sanctioned by the City University of New York: Office of Academic Affairs. She served 12 years on the Youth Board for the City of Mount Vernon’s Mayor Ernest D. Davis; including appointments as Director of Public Relations, Director of Public Affairs & Special Events, and later promoted to Director of Cultural Affairs. Ilyasah served as a member of the U.S. delegation that accompanied President Bill Clinton to South Africa to commemorate election of President Nelson Mandela. Ilyasah is a mentor for the We Are Family foundation—dedicated to inspire, educate and promote a global family through building bridges between cultures for young leaders of the world. She mentors at various group homes, lock-up facilities, high schools and college campuses through production of The WAKE-UP Tour™: ‘X’-Tra Credit Forums—her exclusive youth empowerment program.

Ilyasah retraced her father’s footsteps to the Holy City of Mecca and is included in the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World. http://www.scribd.com/doc/22652672/The-500-most-influential-Muslims-in- the-world She explored religious and historical sites in both Egypt and Jordan as the guest of Her Royal Highness Princess Alia Al Hussein. Ilyasah has participated in interfaith dialogue study programs under Rabbi Nancy Kreimer and Dr. Aziza Al Hibri. Ilyasah served as a member of the American Interfaith Leadership delegation that participated with the Malaria No More Foundation to provide 2 million bed nets, ultimately saving the lives of 95% at-risk children in Mali, West Africa. Ilyasah is trustee of the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center and the Malcolm X Foundation.

Ilyasah served approximately 12 years in the entertainment industry working for the William Morris Agency, Time Warner Music Group, KEDAR Entertainment, ABC’s All My Children & One Life to Live, and Spike Lee’s 40 Acres + A Mule Filmworks. She is executive producer of a 2010 television pilot, The‘X’ Factor, a compilation of in-studio and on-location interviews of young leaders in education, entertainment, sports and politics—as well as ordinary citizens making a difference in their communities. Ilyasah is a project advisor for the PBS award-winning Prince Among Slaves documentary.



This past Summer of 2012 she travelled to Nigeria and Greece as a Good Will Ambassador and will travel to Doha, Oatar this Fall to Lecture at the University and to continue her efforts to bridge the gap and bring her message of understanding and embracing diversity.

The LIFETIME Movie Channel has produced a movie titled CORETTA & BETTY of which Ms. Shabazz is a consultant and is an accounting of the lives as the wife of an iconic figure and their work to continue the Legacy of these great Civil Rights Leaders. It is scheduled to air during Black History Month 2013.

She is a member of the New York City Opera’s Art Committee at Lincoln Center.

She has a Masters of Science in Education & Human Resource Development and currently resides in Westchester County, New York.