In other words, despite knowing he can never truly recompense her, Tupac still wants to let his mother know how he feels by making a public professions of his love. And in the process of doing so he idolizes her as a symbol of commitment, courage and resilience. She was more than just the “mama” in “Dear Mama.” She was a shining example of the power of black womanhood as a whole.And the track goes on to read like a memoir from his upbringing. Notable facts include his family growing up poorer than their neighbors as well as Pac getting mixed up with the wrong crowd and not having a father in his life. He also famously mentions the fact that she was once an addict during his youth. But what all of this boils down to is him expressing an unequivocal appreciation for the sacrifices she made in raising him and his sister.
Tupac was just one of many amazing contributions that Afeni Shakur made to the world. What made her memorable, powerful, and inspiring was her consistent, lifelong dedication to her community and her people. What made Afeni Shakur amazing and memorable wasn’t just her son, or his death, or her activism and philanthropy following his death. She exemplified that grace, the sort of grace that’s mirrored in the mother’s of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and so many other black mothers of sons who died violently.Īfeni Shakur at the tenth anniversary memorial of her son’s death.īut the beauty of black motherhood, too, is that it can transcend that narrative of pain and sacrifice. And in the the years following Tupac’s death, Shakur continued to speak across the United States as an advocate for Civil Rights and reform in black communities.Īfeni Shakur has stood as a kind of symbol of the stoic grace of black motherhood - a mother who has had to remain strong and keep it together in the wake of her son’s brutal murder. Proceeds from unreleased material by her son also went towards the foundation. Shakur was also a community organizer, setting up the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation after her son’s death to fund performing arts programs for disenfranchised children. An active member of the Black Panther party in the 1960s and 1970s, she faced the scrutiny and surveillance of the CIA and FBI, was jailed under trumped up conspiracy and terrorist charges, and later successfully secured her freedom by representing herself in court. His artistry, his ideology, his activism and his genius were intrinsically linked to a woman who encouraged him from an early age to question everything, and to rail against white supremacy.īut here’s the thing: As we remember Afeni Shakur, we must remember that her legacy and impact went beyond her son.Īfeni Shakur was an activist, a revolutionary, a philanthropist and a scholar. It’s undeniable that Tupac Shakur was the man that he was because of his mother.
Headlines about her death mostly reference her son: “Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s Mother, Dies At 69.” And across social media, people are sharing photos of Shakur with her son, or tributes using the song he wrote for her -“Dear Mama” - a song that has become synonymous with her, her battles with addiction and her son’s admiration. Her death, at only the age of 69, has prompted an outpouring of grief and remembrance. Afeni Shakur, mother of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, passed away on Tuesday.
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