The daughters of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X turned New York Fashion Week into a living tribute to civil rights history!
History was made on the runway at New York Fashion Week as Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., and Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, walked side by side for Actively Black’s highly anticipated return after a two-year hiatus.
The emotional moment unfolded on September 12 as the two women, both carrying the legacies of their iconic fathers, wore sweatshirts honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Holding hands as they stepped onto the catwalk, they transformed the fashion stage into a living testament of resilience, unity, and shared history.
Created by Lanny Smith, Actively Black used the runway as a platform to honor the past while celebrating the future of Black excellence. The show blended contemporary athleisure with civil rights visuals, reminding the audience of the enduring fight for equality.
“This was more than fashion — it was legacy stitched into fabric,” Smith wrote after the show, thanking King and Shabazz for trusting his vision.
The presentation also featured civil rights icons Cecil J. Williams, the photographer who documented Jim Crow segregation, and Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to integrate a Louisiana elementary school. Together, they joined King and Shabazz in creating a multigenerational roll call of Black resilience.
After the event, King shared a heartfelt message to Shabazz: “Let’s ‘walk together…and not get weary,’” quoting her father while calling Shabazz her “sister.”
The show served as a reminder that while fashion evolves, the stories of struggle, resistance, and triumph remain timeless. For Actively Black, this runway moment declared: We are here. We are powerful. We are walking together.
