“The struggle was never about me, but for the will of the people,” Mutulu Shakur declared in a petition for his release.
The grassroots community has been deeply saddened upon learning that Dr. Mutuku Shakur, 72, a Black Liberation Army activist and stepfather to Tupac Shakur, succumbed to bone marrow cancer on July 6. A janazaa was held this past Monday at Atlanta’s Mosqjid Ash Shura, presided by Imam Frukwon. Shakur’s body was also interred there.
Widespread social media tributes to Shakur have been posted.
“Dr. Mutulu Shakur taught us that ‘people struggle for liberation because they love [the] people,’” the New Afrikan People’s Organization and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement said in a joint statement. “He will always be remembered for his continued commitment to an independent and socialist New Afrika and for his battle cry, ‘Straight Ahead!’”
As a political prisoner of war, Shakur had been incarcerated for 36 years before being granted compassionate parole in December 2022. Reportedly, he went to stay with his family in Southern California. Despite Bureau of Prisons doctors saying in May 2022 that Mutulu had less than six months to live, it wasn’t until after an October hearing that the federal parole commission granted his release.
Talib Shakur mentioned his siblings Mopreme, Sekyiwa, Nzingha, Ayiza and Chinwa; before reflecting on his father: “He changed a lot of people’s lives out here and while in captivity. I’ve been in contact with several people who were incarcerated with him, who have said how much he’s helped them out. He’s a healer to our community. He did it for the love he has for his people. I’m honored to be one of Dr. Shakur’s children,”
“Comrade Mutulu Shakur: veteran of the Revolutionary Action Movement, Republic of New Afrika & Black Liberation Army leader, fighter and political prisoner of 36 yrs passes on to the ancestors. We stay loyal to your path,” posted the @mxmovement.
His transition was announced via Instagram the following day with an illustration of Shakur and a caption reading, “Our beloved Mutulu joined the ancestors this morning at home with family. Please bless him on his path and we will share more soon. Rest in power and love.”
Born Jeral Wayne Williams on Aug. 8, 1950, Shakur became known as a healer, administering acupuncture to treat heroin addiction in NYC during the 1970s. He also advocated for holistic healthcare. He married Tupac’s mother, Afeni, in 1975, and they had a daughter, Sekyiwa, but divorced in 1982.
“Mutulu was the quintessential re-Africanized New African Freedom fighter,” said his comrade Tarik Haskins. “He was a healer. After seeing an alarming, horrific number of Black and Puerto Rican people succumbing to drug overdoses and the AIDS epidemic, he stepped forward to learn and apply acupuncture to save our people. He multiplied his efforts by training people to become acupuncturists.”
Shakur went underground after authorities sought him out for his alleged role in the “expropriation” of $1.6 million from a Brinks armored truck in 1981, which resulted in the deaths of two cops and a security guard. He was eventually apprehended in 1989, convicted on RICO charges, and sentenced to 60 years in prison. After serving half his sentence—30 years, he became eligible for parole in 2016.
“More than a comrade, we were true friends,” said elected activist Charles Barron. “Mutulu was an iconic revolutionary and inspired so many others. It’s a sad loss and I’m angry that this vicious, capitalist, colonial system kept him in prison all those years until he was close to death.”
Barron said Shakur was always optimistic, and a devoted family man who “touched and saved a lot of lives with his acupuncture clinic. He had a profound love for his people. The revolution never dies.”
Although he had a clean institutional record and mentored other inmates, he was denied parole nine times, and during the COVID-19 crisis as well.
“He was a close friend, comrade, brother,” said Sekou Odinga. “Mutu was motivated by love and was committed to the struggle of Black and brown people. He did a lot of good work. He stayed in it until the day he passed. We will continue on with his work. He lived what he believed.”
There will be local memorial services next month.