Yesterday, news broke that Afeni Shakur, mother of Tupac and former Black Panther, had passed and fans quickly flooded social media with their condolences and favorite lyrics to “Dear Mama.”
Afeni Shakur, Former Black Panther And Mother Of Tupac, Dead At 69
Jada Pinkett-Smith, who was a close friend of Shakur’s, was among the many who paid tribute to the late activist. She shared a heartfelt open letter and recalled a woman who “always had a way of making me believe all would be well” and “was a giant in her own right.”
The actress wrote:
“Today I woke up to the news that Afeni had passed. My first thought was of Sekyiwa and the entire clan that loved Afeni. Then I remembered that I was in NY to attend a Mother’s Day event named after a song written about Afeni, Dear Mama. My heart tightened and then all kinds of memories flooded in. I quickly remembered how calm Afeni was especially during any crisis. She always had a way of making me believe all would be well. But my fondest memories of Afeni was spending time with her at Jasmine Guy’s house as Jasmine was writing Afeni’s book. Tupac had passed, and now I was a business woman, wife, and a mother and we could talk real and I mean really real. I got to see where Pac got his passion, his ideals for equality and justice but most of all his depth of thinking. Afeni was a giant in her own right. Today she is reunited with her son and Sekyiwa has two majestic angels to look after her. One for each shoulder. Rest in peace Afeni, and give Pac a hug and a kiss from me.”
Danai Gurira to Play Tupac’s Mother Afeni Shakur in ‘All Eyez on Me’
Beautiful words for a beautiful person. Rest in peace, Afeni.
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