AMHERST — Demetria “Dee” Shabazz, a leader in efforts to make Amherst a more diverse and welcoming community and who helped spearhead initial Juneteenth celebrations locally, is being remembered by those whom she empowered, following her death from cancer last month.
Shabazz, 56, who died on Sept. 11, leaves her husband, Amilcar Shabazz, and their children, Ursa and Amilcar II.
“Dee was an enthusiastic, passionate leader of change who served admirably and made a huge impact on those who were fortunate to know her very well, and she stood by the side of justice in the community,” wrote Pat Ononibaku and Kathleen Anderson, president and vice president of the Black Business Association of Amherst Area, in a tribute. “She inspired us to be our best. We found guidance, friendship, compassion, everything in one person.”
A former assistant professor of communication and affiliated faculty member of the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Shabazz was born on Galveston Island, Texas.
Brianna Owen and Ellisha Walker, who co-chaired the Community Safety Working Group that has made recommendations for improving public safety for Black, Indigenous and people of color communities, noted that their work was “founded, inspired and fueled” by Shabazz’s long-term activism.
“Dee was an incredible mentor, friend, neighbor, leader, and an advocate who dedicated her life to making Amherst more diverse, vibrant, and inclusive,” Owen and Walker wrote in another tribute.
A consulting group created by Shabazz, 7GenerationMovementCollective, played a vital role in the recommendations that led to the Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service, or CRESS department, and the ongoing work of the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee, they noted.
Shabazz was a bridge builder, according to Allegra Clark, who chairs the town’s Community Safety and Social Justice Committee. and member Debora Ferreira. They wrote, “She was a fierce warrior for justice. Someone who was unyielding in making sure everyone was treated fairly, with respect and equitably
Katie Lazdowski, recently appointed to the Amherst School Committee, called the Participatory Action Research that Shabazz sought in dealing with matters, which gives those impacted by research a lead role in the work, a good way to address issues that have been affecting Amherst.
“Dee had vision, and she made things happen because her enthusiasm and passion were infectious,” Lazdowski said. “Her absence is already felt, but her spirit lives on in each of us through our own activist channels.”
Shabazz was also a board president of Amherst Media, helping ensure transparency in government and providing a public forum.
Amherst resident Anita Sarro noted that Shabazz founded the Sankofa Gumbo organization to celebrate, educate, and preserve the stories, foods and cultural traditions of people of African heritage, in particular with Juneteenth, now a national holiday marking the end of slavery and celebrating freedom, culture and community.
“The world has lost some of its radiance, but there will always be a place at the table for Dee,” Sarro wrote.
A public celebration of Shabazz’s life is planned for Oct. 26.