BROOKLYN, N.Y. — When a judge exonerated two men wrongfully convicted for the 1965 murder of civil rights leader Malcolm X, it was in part due to the work of Brooklyn-based producer Nailah Sims.
“The course of history has changed a bit,” she told 10 Tampa Bay.
Sims was part of a team that produced “Who Killed Malcolm X?” The 6-part, 2020 Netflix documentary led the Manhattan district attorney’s office to reopen the investigation into the civil rights leader’s murder.
"I regret that this court cannot undo the serious miscarriage of justice," State Supreme Court Judge Ellen Biben said last November in court when she exonerated Muhammad A. Aziz, 83, and Khalil Islam, who died in 2009.
"There can be no question that this is a case that cries out for fundamental justice."
In an interview with 10 Tampa Bay’s Emerald Morrow, Sims shares what it took to produce the series, what it means to effect change, and what she hopes this investigation will mean moving forward.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
This documentary was not only fascinating to watch, but it has resulted in exonerations. What did it feel like to get that news?
Sims: We started this journey back in 2017 as filmmakers, but we are part of a canon of storytellers who have asked questions about this case for so long. We're just so grateful that it made some kind of impact because you never know with the work that you do. So, it was an emotional moment for us just to know that our work mattered.
But, I have to say that our hearts are also, you know, with the three families that are directly impacted by this. This is definitely a human story. And it was embodied by Muhammad Abdul Aziz, who was in that courtroom…at 83-years-old. Finally, after 55 years, he got to hear a confirmation of what he maintained for so many years: that he was innocent.
Our only hope is that this is the beginning and an open for healing for those families. And the third family, of course, is the Shabazz family. Malcolm X and his family have endured the unimaginable, you know? From the tumultuous time leading up to his death, and then to have this grave miscarriage of justice, and then mishandling of his case. I can only begin to imagine what this moment was like for them.
How did you get involved in the project?
Sims: I am a freelance producer. I've been in the business, the larger business for over a decade, but in the long-form space for about 10 years. I previously worked in talk show and music news and stuff like that, but I have worked on several documentary projects involving either history or social justice issues. I was hired by Ark Media—the production company that started all of this. And back in 2017, our team was formed and we set out on this journey. And I will also say that me having such a passion for Malcolm X is one of the reasons why I chose him.
What is it about Malcolm X you are so passionate about?
Sims: He was trying to change the lives of other people and the Black community who were impacted by incarceration, who were impacted by police brutality, who were impacted by the imbalances in our society and racism, of course. So, you know, Malcolm is always who I ended up going back to for so many issues, and I think he is just one of the greatest leaders that has ever lived.
His journey is amazing. His oratory is amazing. His capacity was amazing. When you really dive into his life, you see just how prolific he was.
Malcolm is highly regarded in much of the African American community. But, outside of that circle, he is sometimes seen as a polarizing figure. Is it your hope in doing this documentary that America would see him in a different way?
Sims: Absolutely. On a mainstream level, Malcolm has always been characterized as a juxtaposition to Dr. King, or someone who promoted violence. We were confident that we were able to show that Malcolm was so much more.
He did not promote violence. He was all about self-defense and agency that African Americans have in their struggle and fight for civil rights...It doesn't make sense to pit African American leaders against each other.
What was your role in the documentary?
Sims: Shayla [Harris] and I were both producers, so we split up a lot of the research and recording and collaborating with the directors on the actual filmmaking-- the filming the interviews and filming different scenes. We definitely were the ones who went to the municipal archives to look at the DA case file.
Pretty early on we scoured through the FBI files. We made the early phone calls to the witnesses that are still around from not only that day, but from different parts of Malcolm's life because when you look at this story, you can't just look at what happened on that day, you have to look at who stood to benefit from Malcolm's demise.
We were on a journey to tell the story of who potentially killed Malcolm X. As you dive into that...there's this affidavit that exists from one of the convicted men who actually admitted his guilt. He named co-conspirators who were not Muhammed Aziz and Khalil Islam.
What was it like to see the government apologize for this case?
Sims: It was actually the District Attorney [Cy Vance] who really articulated the apology...I could speak from the point of a filmmaker, but I can also speak from the point of just an African American in this country. For so long, the onus is on us to speak these truths and to call out injustices and mishandlings. So, it was a monumental moment to hear from the government some admission of that wrongdoing.
What was the most difficult part of this documentary journey for you?
Sims: I think one of the most difficult parts for me as just an African American storyteller is you have to maintain your work as a journalist, right? But also, your identity comes into play when you are telling these stories.
I have to keep the work of journalism as our North Star--and the fact that there was at least one man still living whose name had not yet been cleared.
What do you hope will come as a result of this documentary and the exonerations?
Sims: My hope is that this semblance of justice in the case leads to the opportunity for real justice for the Shabazz family, now that the historical record has been corrected that they got it wrong. I hope there's an opportunity to get it right a bit more, especially when it comes to the culpability of the federal and local governments.
There are documents that are still redacted, documents that have not been released. I also hope that there's a chance for reparation for these families. The damage is real. There's ripple effects when it comes to incarceration or miscarriages of justice with these trials. So, I hope for all three families that they are able to receive some sort of reparation.
Emerald Morrow is an investigative reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram and Twitter. You can also email her at emorrow@10tampabay.com.