TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
The Honorable Adam A. Shakoor 1947–2022 Retired District Court Judge, Former Deputy Mayor of Detroit, MI, Professor
By Aaron Williams
D etroit-based African Ameri- can judge, attorney, and later Deputy Mayor under Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young, the Honorable Adam A. Shakoor (Alpha Beta 1970), entered the Chapter Invis- ible on March 22, 2022. Michigan’s Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released the following state- ment: According to CAIR, Shakoor was the first Muslim judge in the United States. As an attorney, Shakoor represented the local Muslim community in two highly publicized cases: 1. In 1979, Shakoor represented Masjid Wali Muhammad, a Detroit mosque, for the right to announce the Muslim call to prayer over loudspeakers, the first such ruling in the nation and; 2. He also led in 1979 litiga- tion against the Michigan Department of Corrections in a push for religious accommodations for Muslim inmates, leading to the hiring of its first Islamic chaplain. Family members remembered Sha- koor as “an activist for social change and stood up for the rights of others with a passion for justice and fairness, espe- cially during the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s.” Shakoor was born Adam Caddell on August 6, 1947, in Detroit, MI, the son of Harvey Caddell and Esther (Hart) Cadelll. Shakoor grew up in the Sojourner Truth public housing complex on Detroit’s northeast side. After gradu- ating from high school, he attended Wayne State University (WSU), earning a B.S. degree in 1971. Shakoor was the
features editor of The South End, an independent WSU student newspaper. While a college student, he converted to Islam and changed his name. He later returned to Wayne State to earn an M.A. degree in education in 1974 and a J.D. degree in 1976. After graduation, he worked as an associate attorney with Pitts Mann & Patrick PC. From 1979 to 1981, he practiced as a partner with Ashford Cannon Edison Lumumba & Shakoor, a firm known for challenging racial injus- tice. Gov. William Milliken appointed Shakoor as a judge on Detroit’s 36th District Court, where he subsequently won re-election and served two terms as chief justice before stepping down in 1988. Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young appointed Shakoor as the city’s Deputy Mayor and Chief Administrative Of- ficer, serving from 1989 to 1993. One project he developed in his new role was the Boot Camp After Care De- tention Program for young males, which the state of Michigan modeled a similar program after Shakoor’s. The boot camp project operated as a coopera- tive effort of the Michigan Department of Corrections, the Detroit Board of Education and the city of Detroit. The program was one of the first boot camp detention programs comprised of topics such as substance abuse counseling, vo- cational training, and health education. Shakoor became known as Detroit’s “crime czar” for his efforts coordinating city, state, and federal agencies to fight the drug problem, for his development of crime-fighting activities that also involved substance abuse treatment
and prevention, and for overseeing the forfeiture of all assets seized from drug dealers by Detroit police. Shakoor, deputy mayor, represented the city in its dealings with the federal government and helped Detroit receive more than $1 million for past-due equitable sharing funds. He served as chairman of the Cluster Leaders Man- agement Group, which brought together all city departments' directors and deputy directors to communicate and solve problems. Additionally, Shakoor taught Business Law, Criminal Justice, and other courses at the Wayne County Community College District. In 1994, he became a managing part- ner in the Reynolds, Beeby & Magnuson firm, and in 1997, he became part of Shakoor, Grubba & Miller. He served as the personal attorney of civil rights icon Rosa Parks from 1995 until her passing in 2005. In 2004, he started the firm Adam Shakoor & Associates. Shakoor was a Life Member of the Fraternity and affiliated with the Detroit (MI) Alumni Chapter. He also served on the boards of various local organi- zations, including New Detroit, Inc., Boysville, and Operation Get Down. He was also the recipient of countless proclamations, awards, and honors from federal, state, and local government agencies and community groups. Brother Adam Shakoor is survived by his wife, Gail Lawrence-Shakoor, and six adult children. Two of his children preceded him in death.
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