ST. LOUIS —Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, will give the keynote address at the 12th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Tribute, hosted by Saint Louis University and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. Civil rights leader Xernona Clayton will also take part in the fireside chat with Shabazz.

Shabazz was originally scheduled to speak in 2022 when the event was cancelled due to the pandemic. The annual breakfast begins at 8 a.m. and the tribute follows at 9 a.m. New this year, the event will be held after the MLK holiday and the start of spring classes at SLU, allowing students to attend the tribute.

Shabazz is the co-chairperson of the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. Her work focuses on institution building and intergenerational leadership development with the tenets of diversity, equity and inclusion.

She is an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, teaching “Perspectives on Justice in the Africana World.”

Shabazz is also an award-winning author, educator and producer. She has authored five historical novels and served as a project advisor for the PBS documentary film Prince Among Slaves.

She is the president and founder of Ilyasah Shabazz Enterprises. Shabazz holds a B.S. in Biology from New Paltz College and has a M.S. in Education and Human Resource Development.

In its 12 years, the MLK memorial tribute at SLU has drawn an array of distinguished speakers. In 2018, diplomat and noted civil rights champion Ambassador Andrew Young, delivered the tribute’s keynote address.

Previous awardees have included Martin Luther King III; Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin; Marc Morial, president of the national Urban League; and civil rights leader Xernona Clayton, among others.

This year’s tribute will be held in the Wool Ballroom, Busch Student Center. Complimentary parking will be available in the University’s Laclede Garage.

Registration for this event is at capacity.