Khadijah Farrakhan, the longtime wife of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, died on Saturday, the Nation of Islam announced. She was 90.
Referred to as "Mother Khadijah," she worked with her husband for decades, supporting the movement that espouses Black self-reliance. The couple resided at Mosque Maryam on Chicago's south side, which served as the home base for their religious and sociopolitical organization.
"The Honorable Minister @LouisFarrakhan with deep sadness yet with profound gratitude to Allah informs you that his beloved wife of 72 years, the first lady of the Nation of Islam, Mother Khadijah has returned to Allah (may Allah be pleased)," a statement from the Shura Executive Council said.
Her death occurred seven months after her 90th birthday was observed by devotees. Funeral services were pending announcement.
Mosque Maryam remembered Farrakhan as "a devoted follower" with "a precious soul, a sweet heart." R&B artist ZaRio Son Rise recalled her on Facebook as "a true queen, a righteous woman, and one of the greatest examples of dignity, faith, loyalty, and grace our generation has ever witnessed."
Born Betsy Ross, Khadijah Farrakhan married Louis Walcott, as he was then known, in Boston on September 12, 1953. They had nine children. Their eldest son, Louis Farrakhan Jr., passed away in 2018, and their son Joshua Farrakhan died in 2023.
Khadijah Farrakhan converted to Islam in 1955, the same year her husband joined the Chicago-based movement. He had been significantly influenced by Malcolm X, a friend from Boston. The couple adopted their current surnames around that period.
Louis Farrakhan assumed leadership of the organization in the wake of Malcolm X's assassination in 1965. One of his most notable achievements was the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., in 1995.
Two years later, Khadijah Farrakhan addressed a gathering of Black women in Philadelphia, an event known as the Million Woman March. "A nation can rise no higher than its women," she told the attendees. "We focus on women but cannot lose sight that we must rise as a family -- men, women and children."