Afeni Shakur
| Afeni Shakur | |
|---|---|
 Shakur giving a speech, 2008. | |
| Born |
Alice Faye Williams January 10, 1947 Lumberton, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died |
May 2, 2016 (aged 69) Sausalito, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Years active | 1965–2015 |
| Political party | Black Panther Party |
| Spouse(s) |
Lumumba Shakur (m. 1968–71) Mutulu Shakur (m. 1975–82) Gus D. Davis Jr. (m. 2004–16) |
| Children |
Tupac Shakur (b. 1971–96) Sekyiwa Shakur (b. 1975) |
Alice Faye Williams[1] (January 10, 1947 – May 2, 2016),[2] better known as Afeni Shakur, was an American political activist, Black Panther, and music businesswoman. Shakur was the mother of American rapper and actor Tupac Shakur. While pregnant with Tupac, Shakur was accused of conspiring with other Black Panthers to carry out bombings in New York. These charges were dismissed, and she was released before his birth.[3]
Involvement in the music industry and philanthropy
Exactly one year following Tupac's death, with the money made from Tupac's posthumous albums, Afeni 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 has also since 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.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6][7] Her body was cremated.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ Guy, Jasmine (2004). Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary. New York: Atria Books. p. 5.
- ↑ "Tupac's Mother, Afeni Shakur, Dead at 69". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ↑ Afeni Shakur, mother of rapper Tupac, dies at 69, richmondfreepress.com; accessed May 15, 2016.
- ↑ Moscow-Pullman Daily News (July 26, 2007) "Tupac's mother tries to stop Death Row sale of unreleased tracks"; retrieved May 17, 2010.
- ↑ "Lecture: Afeni Shakur delivers keynote address of Vanderbilt University's Black History Month Commemoration". Discoverer Archive. Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ↑ Kimble, Lindsay (May 3, 2016). "Tupac Shakur's Mother Afeni Shakur Davis Dies at 69: Police". People Magazine. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ↑ Dillion, Nancy; Niemietz, Brian; Wagner, Meg (May 4, 2016). "Afeni Shakur, mother of hip-hop legend Tupac, dead at 69". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/private-memorial-tupac-shakur-mom-afeni-held-n-article-1.2637191