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American Morning

Talk With Daughter of Malcolm X

Aired July 09, 2002 - 09:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: It's always hard growing up in the shadow of a famous parent. But imagine how hard it is when that parent takes on mythical proportions and he isn't even around to guide you. That is the subject of a new book, "Growing Up X," written by Ilyasah Shabazz. She is the daughter of the slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, and she joins us now to talk about her father and her new book.

Good morning, welcome.

ILYASAH SHABAZZ, AUTHOR, "GROWING UP X": Thank you.

ZAHN: Ilyssah, why were you inspired to write this book?

SHABAZZ: Actually, after losing my mother, I wanted to do something for her, and I began working on a book about both my parents, and the editor at the time, Anita Diggs, encouraged me to write "Growing Up X."

ZAHN: Now, what I think what the audience will find interesting is how little you knew about your father. You were almost 3 years old when he was assassinated. You were in the Autobahn Ballroom (ph), right? Do you remember anything about that day?

SHABAZZ: No, I would imagine a lot of noise and a lot of chaos. But no, I wouldn't say that I do.

ZAHN: And some people have described the environment where you grew up as a pretty sheltered environment, and is it true it wasn't until you were 16 years old heading off to college that you read an autobiography that made you better understand your father's life for the first time.

SHABAZZ: Right, my mother didn't tell us about our father the icon, "The Malcolm X" that the world knew who fought social injustice. She taught us about our father, daddy, her husband, a loving, compassionate, humorous man. Great commitment and so forth.

ZAHN: How surprised were you when you read about that other part of his life for the first time?

SHABAZZ: Well, I think that was a time when I began to realize the social climate. The, you know -- injustice, and so forth. And so to read about his sense of commitment, you know, at such a young age. The world learned about Malcolm X when he was 28 years old, and he was assassinated when he was 39. So that's really a short timespan and a very young timespan when we're often trying to figure out who we are during that age, rather making such a large commitment to society.

ZAHN: Who do you think assassinated your dad?

SHABAZZ: Well, there were a lot of organizations involved. J. Edgar Hoover with the FBI, we know he was behind my father not coming -- not being admitted into France, and we also know that the Nation of Islam was infiltrated. So there was a lot of hands on, on the assassination.

ZAHN: You're sister so fervently believed that Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam was responsible for your father's assassination, she was at one point arrested, right, for hiring a hitman.

SHABAZZ: She was charged with conspiracy, but she was never arrested, never indicted. And it was a young man she had gone to school with, Michael Fitzpatrick. She and he both went to the United Nations International School, and he sort of lured her into making her think he loved her, he wanted to marry her, and he was going to assassinate Farrakhan. But I talk about that in my book.

My sister is so far from someone to sit back and conspire to assassinate anyone. She was the nature buff growing up. She was the one bringing home turtles, and you know, the cocoons and so forth. So do you think Louis Farrakhan had anything to do with your father's assassination?

SHABAZZ: I think that Louis Farrakhan, among a few others, he was involved in creating the climate. There were a lot of young men who were envious unfortunately of Malcolm, instead of seeing the bigger picture at that point in their life. I think when they got a little older, they realized that they had really been duped.

ZAHN: I know when you said you set off I have to write this book about mother's life as well, and she suffered a very painful death as a result of the consequences of burned she suffered from a nephew of yours that started a fire. Have you ever learned why Malcolm started that fire?

SHABAZZ: Well, you know, Malcolm unfortunately, he was 12 years old. And it very, very bad misfortune. It was an accident, and he didn't intend on killing his grandmother, but of course he ultimately set a fire that caused her demise. But he had a very good relationship with her. And because of that relationship, we all -- my sisters and I know it was an accident, and Malcolm is the one who ran to neighbors asking to call the fire department because his grandma's house was on fire. So it was clearly a mistake, unfortunately, that took my mother's life.

ZAHN: How does he live with that?

SHABAZZ: You know, we just try to help him, try to encourage him to do well, embrace him with a lot of love, and you know... ZAHN: That's a generous spirit for you all to do that. I know other families have been through that, not identical situations, have a much tougher time reaching their arms around someone like that.

Ilysasah Shabazz, thanks so much. The author of "Growing Up X." It's fascinating.

SHABAZZ: Thank you.

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