Recipients of First-Ever Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Scholarship Announced

With more than 5,000 total applications received, The Shabazz Center and Scholly have announced the three recipients of the first-ever Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Scholarship, which invites young people within the greater New York City region to intern at the Shabazz Center.

Ilyasah Shabazz shares, “My father, Malcolm X, once said that, ‘Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.’ The opportunity to support young developing leaders and change-makers through the Scholly Scholarship in partnership with The Shabazz Center is such a rewarding investment that equally honors the lasting legacy of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz.”

Najha Zigbi-Johnson, the Director of Institutional Advancement, adds, “We are incredibly excited to have partnered with Scholly to provide three community leaders with the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Scholarship Fund. Having the opportunity to uplift young people who are organizing in their communities and dedicated to exploring scholarship that advances racial equity is a wonderful way to honor the legacies of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz. We look forward to building in partnership with our Scholly award recipients!”

The Shabazz Center internship will provide each scholarship recipient the opportunity to expand their academic and professional skills through contributing in a hands-on way to the mission of the institution through supporting the execution of public programming, social media development, historical research, and more.

The 2021 winners of the Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Scholarship are:

Belmaris Garcia-Gomez (Camden, NJ) — College Junior at Columbia College Chicago

Jason Ponterotto (Bronx, NY) — College Junior at Howard University

Shelby Williams (Trenton, NJ) — High School Senior, attending Cornell University in the Fall of 2021