Nationality American Occupation Black Panther | Name Afeni Shakur Role Businesswoman | |
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Full Name Alice Faye Williams Children Tupac Shakur, Sekyiwa Shakur Parents Rosa Belle Williams, Walter Williams, Jr. Similar People | ||
Afeni shakur talks revolution pt1
Afeni Shakur Davis (born Alice Faye Williams; January 10, 1947 – May 2, 2016) was an American activist and businesswoman. Shakur was the mother of American rapper and actor, Tupac Shakur.
Contents
- Afeni shakur talks revolution pt1
- black panther author activist jamal joseph talks about tupac shakur and afeni shakur
- Early life
- Activism
- The Panther 21
- Involvement in the music industry and philanthropy
- Injunction against Death Row Records
- Guest appearances and lectures
- Death
- References
black panther author activist jamal joseph talks about tupac shakur and afeni shakur
Early life
Shakur was born Alice Faye Williams on January 10, 1947, in Lumberton, North Carolina, the daughter of Rosa Belle, a homemaker, and Walter Williams, a trucker.
Activism
In 1968 at the age of twenty-one, she changed her name to Afeni Shakur, Afeni meaning "lover of people" and Shakur being Arabic for "thankful to god", respectively. She was then living in Harlem, New York, where she joined the far-left Black Panther Party. She became a section leader of the Harlem chapter and a mentor to new members, including Jamal Joseph, Cleo Silvers and Dhoruba Bin-Wahad. She also worked with Billy Garland (who is Tupac's biological father) and Geronimo Pratt (who became Tupac's godfather).
The Panther 21
In April 1969, Shakur was arrested on charges of conspiring with other Black Panther members to carry out bombings in New York. With bail set at $100,000 each for the 21 suspects, the Black Panthers decided to raise bail money first for Joseph and Shakur so that those two could work on raising bail for the others. Shakur had been effective in raising bail funds for jailed Panthers. After reading Fidel Castro's History Will Absolve Me, Shakur chose to represent herself in court, telling other accused Panthers that if they were convicted, they would be the ones serving jail time, not the lawyers. Pregnant while on trial and facing a thirty-year prison sentence, Shakur interviewed witnesses and argued in court. She and the others in the "Panther 21" were acquitted in May 1971 after an eight-month trial. Her son Lesane Parish Crooks was born on June 16, 1971 (he would be renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur the following year, in 1972).
Involvement in the music industry and philanthropy
Exactly one year following her son's death, with revenue from his albums released posthumously, Afeni Shakur founded the Georgia-based Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, which provides art programs for young people, and Amaru Entertainment, the holding company for all Tupac's unreleased material. She also launched a fashion clothing line, Makaveli Branded; all proceeds go to his charity, the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation.
Injunction against Death Row Records
Shakur was reportedly in federal court on July 20, 2007, to file an injunction to prevent Death Row Records from selling any unreleased material from Tupac after the company failed to prove that the unreleased songs were not part of its bankruptcy settlement.
She created a record label named Amaru Records to release Tupac's unreleased recordings. She won her court case against Death Row Record to receive 150 unreleased songs by her son.
Guest appearances and lectures
Shakur traveled across the U.S., making guest appearances and delivering lectures. On February 6, 2007, she gave the keynote address for Vanderbilt University's Commemoration for Black History Month.
Death
On May 2, 2016, police and paramedics responded to Shakur's home in Sausalito, California. She was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead of a suspected heart attack. Her body was cremated.