New Jersey City University Unveils Plaque Honoring Alumna Dr. Betty Shabazz As Part Of Women's Herstory Month Celebration

New Jersey City University (NJCU) unveiled a commemorative plaque honoring distinguished alumna Dr. Betty Shabazz '71 during a special ceremony on Tuesday, March 4, as part of the university's Women's Herstory Month programming.

The plaque, now permanently installed on the west side of Rossey Hall adjacent to the Science Building, pays tribute to Dr. Shabazz, a renowned American educator and civil rights advocate who was married to Malcolm X, the influential African American revolutionary, Muslim minister, and human rights activist who played a prominent role in the civil rights movement.

Dr. Shabazz earned her Bachelor of Arts in Health Education and School Nursing from NJCU (then known as Jersey City State College) in 1971. Following her husband's assassination in 1965, she raised their six daughters while pursuing her education and becoming a powerful advocate for civil rights and education in her own right. She passed away in June 1997.

Dr. Shabazz's legacy continued on campus when her daughter, professor and author Ilyasah Shabazz, visited NJCU in January 2022 as the keynote speaker for the university's 33rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration.

The Women's Herstory Month plaque dedication event was coordinated through a collaborative effort between NJCU's Digital Ethnic Studies Consortium, led by Jennifer Musial Ph.D. (Gender, Africana, and Latin American Studies) and Caroline Wilkinson Ph.D.  (Associate Professor of English), and Al Valentín, a Postdoctoral Fellow of the Digital Ethnic Futures Consortium, with guidance from the Women's Herstory Month committee, and community organization Were Here JC. Following the unveiling, attendees participated in a Women's Herstory Month luncheon on campus.

Were Here JC, an organization of artists founded in 2017, dedicates custom plaques throughout Jersey City to highlight the city's diverse history and the contributions of its notable residents. The group's mission is to spotlight the people's history of Jersey City through public commemoration. For more information about the organization, visit Wereherejc.info.

This is the third plaque dedicated on the NJCU campus through the work of the Digital Ethnic Studies Consortium and Were Here JC; previous installations are on the Visual Arts Building fencing on Culver Avenue, featuring alumni Charles Gaines ‘66, a renowned Black conceptual artist, and the late Dr. Okwui Enwezor ‘02, an influential art critic.