On a given day, Brother Elijah Shabazz can be seen in his suit and bow tie, selling either The Final Call newspaper or bean pies on the streets of Harlem, a practice he calls “soldiering.” He is sometimes with four or five of his young students in the Junior Fruit of Islam (FOI) and has become well known to community members as a strong representation of the Nation of Islam for more than 30 years in the community.
“When you have something, and you know it’s good for people, if you love your people, you want to share it with them,” Shabazz said.
Since retiring from his job in 2023, Shabazz, 55, has dedicated his time fully to the Muhammad Mosque No. 7’s K-8 school, Muhammad University of Islam NYC. He instructs students on various subjects including Arabic, Islamic and Africana Studies, and business.
Shabazz was raised in the South Bronx during the early days of hip-hop, and like many New Yorkers, he says that period shaped his life. Both of his parents were members of the NOI, joining the group in the 1960s.
His family took a step back from following the Nation’s during its brief transition to Sunni Islam in 1975. But It wasn’t until Shabazz was a teenager in the mid 1980s when he chose to return to the Nation after being inspired by Minister Louis Farrakhan, who had become its leading voice. Like his father, Shabazz says he was caught up in the trouble of the streets and realized it was a dead end motivating him to turn to the Nation. Since he was 16, he has been selling the newspaper.
As a young adult, Shabazz was involved in organizing and promoting events in New York and New Jersey for the Nation including events at the Apollo involving Dr. Khalil Muhammad and hip-hop stars like Public Enemy, Jungle Brothers, and Sister Souljah. In 1990, he and another NOI brother of his, MCJX, released a rap album Black In Time. Shabazz later served as managing editor of a short-lived magazine, “Celebrity Report,” founded by Edward Funches, and featured interviews with Magic Johnson, Gayle King, and Yung Joc.
In 1989, Shabazz appeared in Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” music video which was shot in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn for the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing.” He fondly recalls it as one of the greatest experiences of his life. At the time, members of the FOI would work as security for Lee, which included Shabazz, who was around 18 years old at the time. He explains that he and the other FOI security were not just appearing in the video, but actually working and securing the set.
“That whole scenery was not staged at all,” Shabazz said. It was in the filming of the video where he says he realized how much respect the Nation commanded with the community for their good work. “Those brothers were not listening to the police. But if I asked them to step back, they stepped back. It amazed me,” he added.
In 1996, Shabazz began his teaching for the Junior FOI as a volunteer at Mosque No. 7. Shortly before COVID, he became full time a few years later. Shabazz says that for several of the students he teaches today, he also taught their fathers over the years.
Along with selling the Final Call paper, the FOI Drill team is another one of the activities Shabazz leads for the youth at the school. These are meant to improve the mental discipline of students and focus on helping them toward their goals. Shabazz and his students sometimes go beyond Harlem with the paper, and have traveled to different cities with their “Savior’s Tour.”
“It makes the young brothers feel good that it makes them feel like they’re doing something positive with themselves and with their life,” Shabazz said. “It gives our youth … a better image of the black man.”
Since his high school days, research and scholarship have been a focus in Shabazz’s life and he has spent much of his time in the Schomburg Library. Around 2010, he utilized those skills, discovering his roots with the Fulani Tribe in West Africa. In recent years, he has shared his journey toward becoming Fulani and teaching the history of the people on his YouTube channel.
Shabazz says it is very “humbling” to be known and have made connections with the Harlem community over these many years. “It’s a very interesting experience how you can just become popular with a newspaper, just basically talking to people, and doing your work,” he said.