Alice Faye Williams legally changed her name to Afeni Shakur shortly after moving to New York and joining the Black Panthers Movement. A native of North Carolina, Davis first gained prominence in the media as one of 21 members of the Black Panther party put on trail in New York in 1969. The trail circles around the members allegedly plotting to shoot and bomb two New York City police stations and an education center. At the time the most expensive trial in New York history, all defendants were acquitted of all charges two years later. A month after her acquittal, Afeni birthed Lesane Parish Crooks, aka, Tupac Shakur.
In 2003 on the release of the movie “Tupac Resurrection,” Davis told CBS News: “I’m not a filmmaker. I’m not a music producer by choice. Whatever it is I’m doing I do because my son was murdered, and he was not able to complete his work. So as his mother, my whole job and responsibility is to see to it that that happens for him, and I do that with love.“
A major influence in Tupac’s life, Afeni would eventually inspire him to write, “Dear Mama,” one of his most vulnerable records where Shakur details his childhood poverty and his mother’s drug addiction. Rather than dote on the negative, the song is about uplifting not only Shakur’s mother, but mother’s everywhere. Take a look at the music video:
After her son’s 1996 shooting death, Shakur took over the late rapper’s estate, which reportedly earns about $900,000 each year.
A movie about Tupac’s life, “All Eyez on Me,” is set for release in November, with Danai Gurira cast as mother Shakur. Afeni served as an executive producer for the film.
May her legacy and all she stood for be forever in our memories. Rest in Power.
