Afeni Shakur, mother of Tupac in life and legacy, dies at 69

The one-time Atlantan had deep local ties and established the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in Stone Mountain

By Rodney Carmichael Tuesday May 3, 2016 05:48 PM EDT

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Afeni Shakur, the political activist, former Black Panther, and mother of the most iconic rap artist of all time, has passed at the age of 69. Her death comes just four months shy of the 20-year anniversary of her son Tupac Shakur's tragic death. She died in Sausalito, Calif. on Monday night after reportedly suffering cardiac arrest, the New York Times has confirmed.

Before Tupac's anthemic 1995 song "Dear Mama" branded her as a "black queen," Afeni Shakur was a firebrand in her own right. As part of the Panther 21, she and 20 other prominent Black Panther members faced an extended trial in New York on bomb charges after being arrested in 1969. Shakur defended herself in the trial. She was jailed throughout the trial and eight months pregnant with Tupac when she was finally acquitted on 156 charges on May 13, 1971:

“I have chosen to defend myself, against the advice of co-counsel, the court, my husband, friends; as a matter of fact, against my own intellect, whatever that is. The District Attorney and his agents used a dash of truth and a cup of lies to concoct one of the most imaginative Hollywood scripts in the history of America. Let history record you as a jury who would not kneel to the outrageous bidding of the state. Justify our faith in you.”
Afeni Shakur lived in Atlanta and was a staple in the community for many years, particularly while Tupac's stepfather Mutulu Shakur served time for an unrelated conviction in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. It was here in Stone Mountain that she chose to establish the former Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in her son's honor after his death.

While Tupac rapped on "Dear Mama" about the many struggles she endured as a "poor single mother on welfare" during his adolescence, he also credited her with his early artistic growth and a radical sense of empowerment. After his murder, which remains unsolved, she became the executor of his estate, fighting legal battles and overseeing posthumous releases. She is the primary reason why his legacy has continued to proliferate worldwide over the past 20 years.

She celebrated what would have been Tupac's 40th birthday five years ago with a star-studded celebration at Atlanta's Woodruff Arts Center.

Her death also comes on the heels of Mutulu Shakur's parole denial, after serving 30 years in federal prisons. According to a coordinator behind the recent Mutulu is Welcome Here campaign in support of his parole, which was denied last month, Mutulu would have lived with Afeni in California had he been released.
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