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• 1 2023-12-03T15:11:43-08:00 Afeni Shakur 12 Black Panther Party 1964-1969 image_header 2023-12-10T21:25:31-08:00

  Afeni, or Alice Faye Williams was born in Lumberton, North Carolina on January 10, 1947 to parents named Rosa Belle and Walter Willimas Jr. She was the youngest child as she had an older sister named Gloria “Glo” Jean. Her early childhood years were traumatic as her father suffered from alcoholism and used violence to express his emotions. Growing up she never physically witnessed the domestic abuse her mother suffered; however, she was aware of the marks and bruises on her mother’s body. One day her mother left her father and moved both Alice and her older sister to the Bronx, New York when she was in her junior year of high school as she attended Benjamin Franklin Junior High School and subsequently Manhattan’s High School of Performing Arts. Due to her traumatic childhood she felt very angry and resentful at her parents and used fighting as an outlet to express her emotions. Due to her physically fighting both male and female classmates at every school she has attended; eventually she dropped out of school. A few years later she studied Yoruba culture and religion and one of her teachers gave her a new name; Afeni, which means dear one or lover of people. She was first introduced to the Black Panther Party and her first husband Lumumba Shakur, during the year of 1968 as she witnessed a speech from the party’s co-founder Bobby Seale. She felt very motivated and inspired by the Black Power Movement and decided to join the Black Panther Party. Shortly after joining the party she married her mentor, lover, and her comrade; Lumumba Shakur, who was the leader of Black Panthers in Harlem. During her time with the panthers she participated in volunteer work, wrote articles for the party newspaper, and eventually became a leader of the Black Panther Harlem and Bronx chapters. At this period of time many undercover New York City police officers successfully infiltrated the Black Panthers. In April 2, 1969, both Afeni and Lumumba Shakur were arrested and indicted, along with several other Black Panthers, on more than 150 charges that included plans to bomb a railroad, the New York Botanical Garden, and other public spaces like department stores. Shakur and the 20 other people who were charged became known as the “Panther 21.” Later she was released on bail in the fall of 1970 and became pregnant by a truck driver named William Garland. Shortly thereafter, Shakur's bail was revoked, and she was returned to jail to await trial.With much backlash and little support Afeni Shakur represented herself in court. After eight months of pleading with a jury and intense cross- examination, Shakur and the rest of the Panther 21 were found not guilty of the charges leveled against them. Before going to jail Shakur was having an affair with another fellow panther member and became pregnant. The year of 1971 was a transitional time period for Shakur as a recently free woman; she gave birth to her first child originally named Lesane Parish Crooks on June 16, and later got divorced. Lumumba Shakur filed for divorce after he discovered the truth that he was not Lesane Parish Crooks; soon changed to Tupac Amaru Shakur, biological father. Shortly after her acquittal, Afeni worked as a paralegal and tenant organizer for over 10 years at Bronx Legal Services. A few years later in 1975 she remarried to Mutulu Shakur; the adopted brother of her first husband, and gave birth to her second child named Sekyiwa Shakur. Mutulu Shakur acted as stepfather to her son and supported Tupac as his son even after his relationship with Afeni Shakur ended in 1982. During this time period Afeni Shakur’s addiction to crack cocaine started to negatively affect her life as she struggled to maintain steady income to provide for her family so she relied on welfare payments to care for her children. In 1985, as a single mother she relocated her family to Baltimore searching for peace and stability. After a few years Shakur moved her family again, this time to Marin County, California, in 1988 in an attempt to leave her drug use behind. It was a rough battle of recovery as struggled to maintain sobriety and resulted in Shakur's son leaving the family home in 1989 because of her drug use and had no contact with his family for a couple of years. Realizing how her addiction affected her family, Afeni Shakur returned to New York City in early 1991 and began attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings.She managed to overcome her addiction that spring and stayed in recovery to maintain sobriety. Her son Tupac Shukar, famous rapper, actor and activist died on September 13, 1996, from multiple gunshot wounds in a drive-by shooting. Afeni Shakur was named executor of Tupac’s estate and started the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation in her son’s honor. In 2004, Shakur married her third husband, Gust D. Davis Jr. and stayed married until they legally separated around 2015.  On May 2, 2016, in Sausalito, California Afeni Shakur died after going into cardiac arrest at the age of 69. Her organization continues to operate and focuses on supporting mental health and wellness while still utilizing the arts to help people express themselves, heal, and grow.