Revolutionist and activist Afeni Shakur-Davis will give a lecture at the University of Central Arkansas on Feb. 13 at Reynolds Performance Hall.
Shakur-Davis, former Black Panther and mother of hip hop artist and actor Tupac Shakur, is the founder of Amaru Entertainment/Records and the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation. Her lecture, “Road to Peace & Empowerment,” begins at 7:30 p.m. The event is free to the public, but tickets are required.
Tickets will be available Wednesday, Jan. 18 for UCA students and on Wednesday, Jan. 25 for UCA faculty and staff. Students, faculty and staff must have their UCA ID card. Tickets for the general public will be available starting Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tickets can be picked up at the Reynolds Performance Hall Ticket Office between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets are limited to two per person.
The lecture is a part of UCA’s Black History Month program. The event is sponsored by the Student Government Association, Honors College, Residential Colleges, the History Department, the Office of the Provost, the Division of Student Services and alumni.
Shakur-Davis joined the Black Panther Party in 1968 to help reopen the public schools in New York. In 1969, she was arrested for conspiracy against the United States government. Shakur-Davis defended herself against 156 charges and was acquitted of all charges. Her biography, Evolution of a Revolutionary, was published in 2005. The biography looks at her childhood in North Carolina, her life as a Black Panther, and her trial. The book was written by actress, singer and dancer Jasmine Guy. The biography was honored with a nomination by the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction Category.
Shakur-Davis founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation in 1997 in honor of her son, who was killed in September 1996. The foundation was formed as a way to bring quality arts training to young people. Students are given the opportunity to take courses on creative writing, vocal technique, acting, stage set design, dance, poetry and spoken word and the business of entertainment.
In 2000, Shakur-Davis partnered with MTV Films and presented the first and only feature documentary about the rap icon. Tupac: Resurrection was given a rare wide theatrical release in 2003, meeting with both tremendous critical and fan acclaim. The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature in 2005.
