Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s mother and notable Black Panther, to be subject of biopic

The story of Afeni Shakur is on its way to the big screen.

Afeni, who died of cardiac arrest in 2016, was an influential member of the Black Panther Party and the mother of rap icon Tupac Shakur. Now, she will be the subject of a new movie titled “Peace, Love & Respect: The Afeni Shakur/Panther 21 Story.”

First reported by Variety, the movie will focus on a two-year stretch from 1969 to 1971 — beginning with the arrest of Afeni and 20 other Black Panthers on conspiracy charges, and ending with the birth of Tupac.

Afeni Shakur’s revolutionary ideas heavily inspired Tupac’s creative output.

(Raymond Boyd / Getty Images)

Jamal Joseph — who was one of the “Panther 21” arrested alongside Afeni — will serve as executive producer with Jasmine Guy, who wrote Afeni’s biography in 2005. Dina LaPolt, who has worked closely with the estate, will be a producer.

“My mother was very much a part of the civil rights movement,” LaPolt told Variety. “She taught me about Afeni and how she was arrested as a member of the ‘Panther 21.’”

The movie is the first to have the full backing of the Shakur estate.

“When the trial started, Afeni had gotten pregnant when she was out on bail,” LaPolt continued. “Two of the Panthers absconded, the judge freaked out and Afeni got put back in jail. She was five months pregnant [with Tupac] and made a motion to get a glass of milk for her unborn child! She had a lot of self-confidence, and that’s our movie — it begins with the day she was arrested.”

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Afeni’s revolutionary views helped mold Tupac’s political and social ideologies, which influenced much of his creative output. That relationship is currently on display at “Wake Me When I’m Free,” the traveling museum in Los Angeles centered around the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur.