Martin Luther King & Malcolm X’s Daughters Walk Runway Together
Dr. Bernice King and Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz honored their fathers’ legacies with a strong runway stroll throughout Actively Black’s NYFW present.
Dr. Bernice King and Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz turned the runway right into a residing tribute to civil rights historical past throughout New York Fashion Week, strolling aspect by aspect in sweatshirts honoring their fathers — Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X — for the Black-owned athleisure label Actively Black.
The emotional second unfolded as the 2 daughters of civil rights giants held arms whereas strolling the catwalk, surrounded by archival footage and residing legends of the motion.
“I’ve cried 3 times since last night,” wrote Actively Black founder Lanny Smith on Instagram. “Thank you for trusting me with this vision.”
The present, held throughout one among style’s largest weeks, blended type with substance. It featured Civil Rights-era visuals and honored those that lived by means of segregation and fought towards it.
Photographer Cecil Williams, recognized for capturing pivotal moments of the Civil Rights Movement, walked the runway carrying a sweatshirt printed with a colorized model of his personal picture — a teenage Williams ingesting from a “whites-only” water fountain. Behind him, the identical picture performed on a display screen.
“People think the heinous and evil of Jim Crow was ancient times. Nah, people are STILL here who grew up in it,” Smith wrote. “Thank you Cecil Williams for trusting my vision on this.”
Ruby Bridges, who at six years outdated grew to become the primary Black baby to combine a Louisiana elementary college in 1960, additionally walked the runway. Now 71, she wore a black sweatshirt gown.
Before her look, a video montage confirmed the racist backlash she endured, adopted by a younger actress escorted by two white males portraying the federal marshals who protected Bridges throughout her historic stroll to highschool.
After the present, King posted a message to Shabazz: “Let’s ‘walk together…and not get weary,’” quoting her father whereas calling Shabazz her “sister.”
Me and my sister, @ilyasahShabazz (daughter of #MalcolmX and #BettyShabazz), final evening on the @ActivelyBlack NYFW Show.
Be inspired, household.
Let’s “walk together…and not get weary.” #MLK #CorettaScottKing pic.twitter.com/TzPpJfkDT7
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) September 13, 2025
The presentation additionally honored the ladies behind the boys — Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz — with visuals and tributes woven into the present.
The occasion comes amid renewed debate over how civil rights historical past is taught in American colleges.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta not too long ago expanded its displays to replicate the continued relevance of the motion.
Smith’s model has beforehand collaborated with Williams on attire that includes his historic pictures, aiming to maintain civil rights tales seen in fashionable tradition.
Related
Categories News