Afeni Shakur Davis (born Alice Faye Williams; January 10, 1947 – May 2, 2016) was an American political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur was the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur and the executor of his estate. She founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and was the CEO of Amaru Entertainment, Inc., a record and film production company she founded.
Early life
Afeni Shakur was born Alice Williams on January 10, 1947, in Lumberton, North Carolina.
Williams attended Benjamin Franklin Junior High School in the Bronx, where she demonstrated above average reading ability and her grades qualified her for honors. She became a section leader of the Harlem chapter and a mentor to new members such as Jamal Joseph. The pre-trial started in February 1970 and the actual trial commenced on September 8, 1970. Charges brought against her and the other members of the Black Panther Party were attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to bomb buildings, and conspiracy. Her statements and questioning of the government infiltrators during the trial are credited with helping to expose the FBI's corruption and help save the Panther 21.
One of the people Shakur cross-examined was Ralph White, a "suspect" who had, in fact, infiltrated the Black Panthers while working as an undercover policeman. Shakur had repeatedly denounced White as a cop because he was "a hothead ... too arrogant for a Panther." White testified it was retaliation for refusing to hire her to work in the Harlem Panther office.
She and the others in the "Panther 21" were acquitted in May 1971 after an eight-month trial. After being released, she participated in a workshop organized by the Gay Liberation Front at the Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention in 1970, and she continued to advocate against homophobia in the Black Panthers. The case was decided in Crooks' favor and won incarcerated women the right to due process prior to their being sent to segregated prison, or solitary confinement.
While working with the South Bronx Legal Services in 1973, Shakur helped organize a day of solidarity for families and friends of the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women.
Later life and death
thumb|right|upright=1.2|Shakur (right) giving a speech in 2001
After Shakur was acquitted, she did not return to the Black Panther Party. On June 16, 1971, she gave birth to her son, Lesane Parish Crooks, who was later renamed Tupac Amaru Shakur. Shakur's marriage fell apart when it was discovered that Lumumba was not the biological father of her son. His biological father was Billy Garland. She relocated to a family friend's home in Marin County, California to manage her drug use. In 1989, her son left home because of her. The two later reconciled. She overcame her addiction after she moved back to New York in 1991 and started Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Nine months into her recovery program, Tupac sent her $5,000 even though their relationship was strained.
Although Tupac struggled in his relationship with his mother, he paid tribute to her in his song "Dear Mama".
After Tupac was murdered in Las Vegas on September 13, 1996, she had him cremated the next day. His close friends, actresses Jada Pinkett and Jasmine Guy, provided emotional support for Shakur and advised her to hire lawyers to sort out Tupac's assets.
In 2004, Shakur released her biography, Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary. In her biography, which was written by Jasmine Guy, Shakur reflected on her childhood experiences and her upbringing as well as her involvement in the Black Panther Party. In the book, she stated that the party educated and directed her to channel her anger. She described her experiences in jail and how together with other inmates, they organized a bail fund to get some of the women out of jail. She shared with people her experiences and ways in which to overcome loss.
Shakur later married Gust Davis. Her body was cremated.
Estate of Tupac Shakur
Following her son's death, Tupac's biological father Billy Garland attempted to inherit half of his estate, which Shakur opposed because Garland was an "absentee father who contributed little to Tupac's upbringing." A judge denied his claim.
In 1997, she founded Amaru Entertainment, a holding company for all of Tupac's unreleased material. She also launched a fashion clothing line, Makaveli Branded in 2003.
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.
In 2013, Shakur sued Entertainment One claiming they failed to pay Tupac's estate royalties worth seven figures for 2007's Beginnings: The Lost Tapes. The estate also sued for the ownership of the master recordings for all of Tupac's unreleased music. A court ruled Entertainment One must pay over six figures for royalties from Shakur's posthumous releases and all the unreleased recordings would go back to the estate. Death Row Records initially owned the rights to his music, which was purchased by Entertainment One in 2006. On September 29, 2018, the Shakur Estate won the case against Entertainment One.
In 2014, Shakur helped create the Broadway musical Holler If Ya Hear Me, which featured Tupac's music.
See also
- Tupac Shakur
- Assata Shakur
- Mopreme Shakur