26 Facts About Afeni Shakur

Afeni Shakur founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and served as the CEO of Amaru Entertainment, Inc.

Afeni Shakur was born Alice Faye Williams on January 10,1947, in Lumberton, North Carolina.

Afeni Shakur had a troubled beginning and grew up resenting her father, a truck driver who was abusive towards her mother.

Afeni Shakur chose the latter because she felt performers and actors were free spirited.

Afeni Shakur began drifting and became a member of a Bronx street gang called the Disciples.

Afeni Shakur briefly worked a postal job, becoming one of the first women mail carriers in New York.

Afeni Shakur became a section leader of the Harlem chapter and a mentor to new members such as Jamal Joseph.

Afeni Shakur represented herself at trial, interviewing several witnesses and arguing in court.

One of the people Afeni Shakur cross-examined was Ralph White, a "suspect" who had in fact, infiltrated the Black Panthers while working as an undercover policeman.

Afeni Shakur got White to admit under oath that he and two other agents had organized most of the unlawful activities.

Altogether, Afeni Shakur spent two years in the New York Women's House of Detention before being acquitted.

Afeni Shakur's marriage fell apart when it was discovered that Lumumba was not the biological father of her son.

Afeni Shakur worked as a paralegal for a decade before descending into a crack cocaine addiction in the early 1980s.

Afeni Shakur raised her children through welfare because she could not keep a job.

Afeni Shakur relocated to Marin County in California to manage her drug use.

Afeni Shakur overcame her addiction after she moved back to New York in 1991 and started Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Afeni Shakur 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.

Afeni Shakur traveled across the US, making guest appearances and delivering lectures.

Afeni Shakur shared with people her experiences and ways in which to overcome loss.

Afeni Shakur launched a fashion clothing line, Makaveli Branded in 2003.

Afeni 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, Afeni Shakur sued Entertainment One claiming they failed to pay Tupac's estate royalties worth seven figures for 2007's Beginnings: The Lost Tapes.

In 2014, Afeni Shakur helped create the Broadway musical Holler If Ya Hear Me, which featured Tupac's music.

Afeni Shakur was not involved in the production of All Eyez on Me, a film based on Tupac's life, stating she felt betrayed by her lawyer, who made the deal with the production company Morgan Creek against her wishes.

Afeni Shakur went to court several times, spending millions of dollars, which she stated led to her selling the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, eventually settling for an undisclosed amount of money.

Afeni Shakur set up a trust to control all of Tupac's music rights which assigned music executive Tom Whalley as the executor of his estate following her death in 2016.