Author of the book “Growing Up X,” Shabazz is committed to developing educational programs that foster self-empowerment; expanding the role of government to teach individual responsibility for improving society; and capitalizing on the arts and entertainment to encourage the understanding of history, culture and self expression.

She is the daughter of Malcolm X, an African-American Muslim minister, public speaker and human rights activist. To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, but his detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy and violence. Malcolm X has been described as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history. Shabazz was only 2 years old and present when her father was assassinated in 1965 in New York.

Shabazz produces “The WAKE-UP Tour,” her exclusive youth empowerment program designed to inspire young people to think and act critically to safeguard their futures. She also is corporation president and trustee of her parents’ legacy, The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial, Educational and Cultural Center, Inc. at The Audubon, the place of her father’s assassination.

The full news release is available here. For more information about this week’s events, visit the Days of Dialogue page on the University of Wyoming web site.

Canine Companions: Laramie
Tuesday, January 19, 6:30 p.m.
A reading discussion series of memoirs about the relationship between man and dog, facilitated by Margaret Garner. The book will be Merle’s Door by Wyoming author Ted Kerasote.
Albany County Public Library, Laramie

Humanities Forum: My Horse, My Gun, My Libraries: Pine Bluffs
Tuesday, January 19, 7:00 p.m.
As Mabel Wilkinson, Lynne Swanson describes some of the adventures and difficulties of bringing libraries to Platte County and to the rest of Wyoming in the early 1900s.
Pine Bluffs Branch Library, Pine Bluffs

Reading Wyoming: Minority Experience in America, Sheridan
Tuesday, January 19, 7:00 p.m.
Katie Curtiss leads this reading and discussion group.  Contact the library for more information or to borrow a book.
Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library, Sheridan

Reading Wyoming: Crime and the Cultural Landscape, Kemmerer
Tuesday, January 19, 7:00 p.m.
The books in this series-mysteries- provide readers with the opportunity to examine the beliefs and mores of different communities and eras.  The featured book this week is The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett.  Discussion leader: Katie Beppler.
Lincoln County Library, Kemmerer

Philip Gourevitch Presentation
Wednesday, January 20, 5:00 p.m.
Award-winning author Philip Gourevitch will discuss his work Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 5 p.m. in the University of Wyoming Union ballroom, as part of the university’s 2010 Martin Luther King/Days of Dialogue activities. He will answer audience questions and sign books following the presentation. The event is free and open to the public.

Reading Wyoming: Rural in America, Cheyenne
Wednesday, January 20, 6:30 p.m.
All of the books in this discussion series offer both romantic and realistic views of rural life.  Rose Wagner leads the discussions.
Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne

Martin Luther King Jr./Days of Dialogue Keynote Address: Ilyasah Shabazz
Thursday, January 21, 7:30 p.m.
Ilyasah Shabazz, the third daughter of slain Muslim leader Malcolm X, is the keynote speaker at the eighth annual Martin Luther King Jr. and Days of Dialogue celebration, Jan. 18-22, at the University of Wyoming. Shabazz is an author, lecturer and human rights activist. The event is free and open to the public.
Union Ballroom, University of Wyoming, Laramie

Reading Wyoming: Living Between Fences, Jackson
Thursday, January 21, 7:00 p.m.
The books in this reading and discussion series consider fences and divisions both in their visible form on the landscape and as metaphors for the barriers that separate us.  Stephen Lottridge leads the discussions.
Old Public Library, Jackson

What’s News: Jackson
Thursday, January 21, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Bring a lunch and join us from noon to 1:30 at the Teton County Library, tracking print and online news with local editors and occasional visiting editors, journalists, and scholars.
Teton County Library, Jackson

Crime Scenes & Aftermaths: Reporting & writing from Rwanda to Hell’s Kitchen to Abu Ghraib and Beyond with Philip Gourevitch
Friday, January 22, 7:00 p.m.
Author Philip Gourevitch reads from his books and talks about how he got the stories and what is at stake in them — politically, morally and dramatically. Gourevitch is an award-winning author of books on the Rwandan genocide and Abu Ghraib, an intrepid correspondent for The New Yorker and editor of The Paris Review. He is the 2009-2010 Eminent Writer in Residence for the MFA program in Creative Writing at the University of Wyoming, a copresenter with the Jackson Hole Writers Conference. Cost: Free. Location: Ordway Auditorium. Contact: Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135.
125 Virginian Lane, Jackson WY 83001

Inspired by Yellowstone: Sundance
Friday, January 22, 7:00 p.m.
This council-funded documentary explores Yellowstone’s art history through Thomas Moran and William Henry Jackson, whose art supported the campaign to make Yellowstone the world’s first national park.
Crook County Library, Sundance

Inspired by Yellowstone: Casper
Saturday, January 23, 12:00 p.m.
This council-funded documentary explores Yellowstone’s art history through Thomas Moran and William Henry Jackson, whose art supported the campaign to make Yellowstone the world’s first national park.
Fort Caspar Museum, Casper

Charlie Williams: The Noise Guy Presents The Age of Disco
Saturday, January 23, 2:00 p.m.
Laramie County Library, Cottonwood Room, Cheyenne