 Ilyasah Shabazz served as Vice President for SME Entertainment; Director of Operations for KEDAR Entertainment; Coordinator of Promotions & Marketing for Pendulum (a Time Warner Division) and Production Assistant for 40 acres + Mule Filmworks (Spike Lee Productions). Other positions held include coordinator for the Office of Academic Affairs of the City University of New York, where she organized training workshops to encourage higher education for inner-city high school dropouts. Shabazz's special projects include lecture presentations and freelance writing. Shabazz says, "Throughout my life, I have been a tutor/mentor, helping to make learning easier, relevant and exciting for young people especially at risk. It was the atmosphere and curriculum my parents provided that enabled me to not only feel proud but to equally have a strong sense of commitment to humanity; to improving the socioeconomic conditions for those who are still at risk; to addressing our educational curriculum; to making a brighter day for someone else. It was the examples my parents set, not only in our household, but by the way they loved their lives." "Today, my biggest commitment is to restructure a curriculum that is inclusive of ethnic diversity, a curriculum that compliments historical contributions accurately so that all children are enabled to have a sense of self-respect and an opportunity to feel good about themselves-a curriculum that stimulates the learning environment and better equips the student to participate in mainstream America." Following in the footsteps of her parents, Shabazz is working to convey a message of empowerment to future generations. Instilled by her father's legacy to appreciate her rich heritage and having witnessed in her mother a never-ending perseverance and strength, she is, indeed, a powerful messenger. As an official member of the United States Delegations, Shabazz accompanied President William J. Clinton on the historic tour to South Africa. She serves on the youth board for the City of Mt. Vernon and is a member of the Women's Leadership Forum and travels throughout the country to improve the socioeconomic conditions for urban communities world-wide.
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