Bamba Ra, also known as Shahid Muhammad, an artistic entrepreneur, dies at 77

Bamba Ra, also known as Shahid Muhammad, an artistic entrepreneur, died on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. He was 77.

He was born as Morris Lenwood Ruffin Jr. to the late Morris Lenwood Ruffin Sr. and Evelyn McJett Ruffin in Philadelphia on June 1, 1944. Wholesome family life and values with his close-knit and extended family in Philadelphia and Virginia were important themes throughout his life. He was the only male of the family’s four children and enjoyed receiving special attention.

He was a gifted student who attended North Philadelphia schools and graduated from Simon Gratz High School in 1963. After graduation, he attended premier HBCUs, starting at Hampton University and then Howard University as a political science major, where he joined the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He quickly became a leader, thus beginning his training in student activism, community organizing and waking others up. At Howard, he became a close comrade of Stokely Carmichael (later named Kwame Toure), a lifelong friend and brother.

As a child of the 1960s, he grew into adulthood during the civil rights movement and growing Pan-African consciousness. From an early age, he became committed to the liberation of Black self-determination.

He also used his creativity and artistic gifts in many entrepreneurial endeavors as a means to express Afrikan achievement and pride. In the 1970s he was a frequent contributor to the Journal of Black Poetry, one of the strongest publications of Black thought and expression, and inclusion in the iconic work by author James Forman, “The Making of Black Revolutionaries.”

During this same period, along with a close friend on the West Coast, he established a line of Black greeting cards depicting positive images of Black people and their achievements. In more recent years, through his travels to Haiti, Mexico and Ethiopia, he worked with local artisans to establish several manufacturing companies. He was known for his creative flair in the design of men’s clothing.

“His charisma, charm and gift of gab made him popular everywhere he traveled, with both men, women and children, whom he truly loved and enjoyed,” his family said in a tribute. “Some of his favorite things were music, dance and eating good food.”

He was preceded in death by his sister, Halima Mubarak.

He is survived by his daughter, Muhammida El Muhajir; granddaughter, Mahadevi El Muhajir Bedford; siblings, Linda Ruffin, Bernadette Scott (Toney); nieces, Khadijah and Kemya Scott; great-nieces, Alexis and Zeja; great-nephew, ZaZu; former wife, Nisa Ra; and other family members and friends.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7, at Church of the Advocate, 1801 W. Diamond St.