The Shabazz Center is a living memorial that presents public programs and educational activities that encourage scholarship and creativity focused on the lives of Malcolm X and Dr. Shabazz and their broad and far reaching interests.  Join us for conferences, exhibitions, panel discussions, dance events and music performances. Our core programs include:

• The Shabazz Youth Reading Club
• The Dr. Betty Shabazz Annual Scholar’s Forum featuring the Shabazz Conversations
• The Regional and International Youth Summits
• The El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz Global Human Rights Film Festival

Media

• Face Time: Scheduled and Free Style “You-Tube” on-line debates and Q/A sessions, which revisit the critical debates argued between Malcolm X and James Farmer among other intellectuals and activists, students and others will be encouraged to “pick-up” where they left off. Issues identified by students such as displacement, gentrification, school security, incarceration, restorative justice, police brutality and up-coming elections will also be debated.

Workshops

• Human Rights Wire: The Shabazz Center’s partnership with the NYC Human Rights Commission and United Nations agencies and affiliate will guide a variety of human rights workshops for students and their parents to recognize violations, change their circumstances and rethink their own intolerances or insensitivities. Housing, education, gender, age, race and other forms of violation that are most likely to impact young people will be analyzed; local laws explained; and options outlined. Workshops will be interactive using role-playing, mock councils, conflict resolution sessions, written correspondence, pod casting and other technologies, and techniques.  Participants will be encouraged to follow and monitor human right violations as they unfold in their communities and aboard.  

• My Community, My Self: Oral History Project: students are instructed on how to conduct interviews for oral history assignments at home, and in their neighborhoods. Interviews are web-cammed and pod-casted for personal use and within the community.

Shabazz Center Youth Reading Club

• School Daze: During the Fall semester through Winter recess [September to February] books written especially for young people; articles; appropriate films; plays; poetry; art; songs; dance and puppet shows that teach them about their cultures and histories will be selected for review and presentation at the Shabazz Center on a monthly basis by specialized educators.  The School Daze reading club will take place on and off site. While open to all students, this pilot program focuses on third grade students and 10/11th graders. A list of films, books, articles and select programs is attached. Guest authors, speakers, and artists partake in this program.

• Dr. Betty’s Notes: Each school provides summer reading assignments at the middle through high school level [6th – 12th grades.] Youth are not always motivated to get started nor do they always comprehend important reading points. During the six weeks of Summer School, Dr. Betty’s Notes [a live facsimile of the well known Cliff Notes] will provide summer reading assignments with a boost. Forums that provide students with cues, concepts, and questions to motivate comprehend and complete assignments will be, organized bi-weekly. Students will pre-register for the limited size classes. Reading cells consist of only 15 to 20 students.

•  Meet-up Young Reader’s Crew: Youth will be able to use the web site for articles written by other students, commentary and advice; transmission of lesson plans [Dr. Betty’s Notes] recommended films and programs for young people are posted regularly.

X-Men Write

• Malcolm X Essay Writing Contest: The Malcolm X Commemoration Committee sponsors the Malcolm X Essay Writing Contest through out the NYC public school system for primary, elementary and high school students.  Three winners [first, second and third place] each from the three educational categories will be selected for awards. The nine winners and participating schools will attend the May Award Ceremonies at the Shabazz Center. The firsst three winners are invited to read their essays at the Regional Youth Summit. Additionally winning essays and honorable mentions essays will be posted on the Meet-Up Young Readers Crew web-site. Readings and other activities from the School Daze program will inform the research conducted by participants they prepare for their papers.

One Night Stanzas: music, spoken word and poetry from the Diaspora
[The second Friday of each month]

 

Live the legacy and get on the ground floor of establishing one of the most important institutions to open in New York City in decades.  General Membership is $45. For further information about other levels of membership and corporate sponsorship opportunities call 212.568.1341 or email us at info@theshabazzcenter.net