Khadijah Farrakhan, the longtime wife of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and a central figure within the organization for decades, has died at the age of 90. The Nation of Islam announced that the woman widely known as its "First Lady" died on Saturday, June 27, bringing to a close a marriage that spanned 72 years and a lifetime of service that extended far beyond her public role beside one of America's most recognizable religious leaders.
In a statement issued by the Nation of Islam's Shura Executive Council, Minister Louis Farrakhan said he shared the news "with deep sadness yet with profound gratitude to Allah," describing his wife as "a loving wife, mother, a faithful devoted follower of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad." Funeral (Janazah) arrangements have not yet been announced.
Born Betsy Ross in Boston on November 26, 1935, Khadijah Farrakhan married Louis Farrakhan in 1953 before the couple embraced Islam together two years later. Together they raised nine children, including sons Louis Farrakhan Jr., who died in 2018, and Joshua Farrakhan, who died in 2023.
While Louis Farrakhan became the public face of the Nation of Islam, Khadijah Farrakhan quietly helped shape much of the organization's foundation. She transformed the couple's Chicago home into an operational hub during the Nation's rebuilding effort in 1977, prepared meals for volunteers, helped establish communications and administrative systems, and designed the women's official uniforms.
She also spoke at the Million Woman March in Philadelphia in 1997, telling attendees, "A nation can rise no higher than its women. We focus on women but cannot lose sight that we must rise as a family, men, women and children," per The Washington Post.
Her work also extended to children through Mother Khadijah's Children's Village, which welcomed thousands of young attendees each year during Saviours' Day celebrations.
Louis Farrakhan frequently credited his wife as one of the driving forces behind his ministry. Reflecting on their decades together, he said, "My wife has been with me throughout all of my striving," adding that when he chose to rebuild the Nation of Islam, "she was the first in my family to say, 'Go on with it. I'm with you.'"
He also praised her unwavering support, telling audiences, "I would not be who I am or what I am if God didn't bless me with who she is and what she has done to complement me and to help make me."
Friends and family consistently described Khadijah Farrakhan as someone whose generosity reached well beyond her own household. Daughter Khallada Farrakhan said her mother never excluded anyone, explaining, "No one is left out," and recalled that she welcomed people without families as though they were her own.
Former Washington, D.C., First Lady Cora Masters Barry similarly remembered her as "gracious" and "kind," adding that she lived "a life of purpose."
Her passing comes just months after supporters gathered in a Chicago snowstorm to celebrate her 90th birthday, during which Stevie Wonder surprised her with a musical tribute and family members publicly pledged to continue her legacy.
