In the wake of this tragedy we have to be careful not to allow anger to take root, grow, and guide our decisions. All over the country people are angry and demanding justice for Trayvon Martin. We must recognize, that anger only agitates and incites. It cannot squelch or satisfy the hunger for justice.  

Trayvon’s life was taken far too soon. It is not Trayvon’s fault that he was murdered. The individual responsible for taking this precious life chose to put his finger in the trigger housing of a weapon and exert a small amount of pressure rather than make a decision other than violence.  All change begins with the choices we make. It is imperative, that we as a community make better choices that benefit the whole, not just the individual parts.

Justice will not come in the form of a mob. Justice will be felt when every mother knows that her child is safe walking the streets of America.  Justice for the Martin family is in the honest explanation of what happened to their beloved Trayvon.  Real justice in the streets is changing our behavior and making better choices in our everyday lives.

What’s behind us, beside us, and in front of us is serious. We have to do more than commit to a rally or a one-time event. Young people are in danger every single day! Each day and night they go to school, or go to the store, even when they go down the street to a home in their own neighborhood, they are in danger.  We should not wait for another senseless killing to make the national news before we decide to stand up and pay attention. We should never be quiet. We must never be quiet when it is safe! We shouldn’t act like one killing is worse than the other. Don’t act like what happened in Sanford doesn’t happen anywhere else. This is happening all over the world. We see it in Sudan, we see it in the Congo, and we see it on the street corners of America!

Let this tragedy motivate us to be more involved and make better decisions in our own communities. That’s what the residents of Sanford, Florida are going to have to do. They are going to have to lift up that young boy’s life and do something positive with this tragedy.

It is our responsibility to find out what we can do for our own respective neighborhoods. We must make the decision that time spent involved in school meetings, community development planning groups, neighborhood programs, and local elections are vital.

We can’t do this from a place of anger. That’s why we must efface anger and commit to a mutual concern and compassion for each other. I’m talking about a human concern and a human compassion for one another that transcends race, class, gender, and age. We cannot go anywhere with anger that we haven’t already been. Anger is an all-consuming fire that will burn you and everyone else around you. Where is the justice in that?  As enraging and deplorable as this tragedy is, we must think of ways to make a difference without being mad and brainsick. We have to teach our young people a better way; a more sustained way. We have to be better examples for our children.

My only son was murdered.  Out of respect for him, and what he accomplished in his short 25 years on this earth, I could not allow myself to be angry.  Instead, we built a center for young people. We planted a garden for peace and started working with youth on conflict resolution, leadership, and safe and creative expression. Think of the least thing you can do that will benefit your community. Start as small as a mustard seed if you have to. I guarantee that the seed you plant in love, no matter how small, will grow into a mighty tree of refuge!

We all want a future for ourselves. We must now care enough to create, nurture, and secure a future for our children. What we do now, matters forever.

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This problem is nothing new. There has been anger with the growing gaps between the rich and those trying to get by day-to-day since the founding of this Country. I know first-hand the results of vast inequity in America. That is what I fought against in the Black Panther Party. When the schools in New York shut down in the 60’s, I was angry. I helped organize my community on behalf of my nephews, and other children in our community. I stood up for what was right, and I remained angry. That anger led me into a tailwind of substance abuse. Anger has consequences. It leads to more harm than the original source of the anger. My family was devastated when violence killed my son in 1996. Although my lost was painful, I did not get resort to anger or violence. Over the past fifteen years, I have channeled my pain into the work of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation. In the spirit of Tupac’s legacy we established the Foundation to provide opportunities for young people to express themselves creatively, to teach conflict resolution, to improve communities, and to provide an institution that brings people together.

The Foundation has been different things for different people at different times. For some, the Foundation is a source of strength, for others it’s a place of empowerment. The Foundation is a place of comfort to those grieving the loss of a loved one killed by violence, we increase awareness and prevention of suicide, we offer acceptance of others regardless of their sexual orientation or background. We honor & learn from our seniors, and mentor young women. We honor fathers, and those who have rebounded from substance and other abuse. We empower our community with resources, and provide jobs & opportunities for single mothers, young people, and for those just trying to get by. The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and those that we have helped have long been the 99%.

The Occupy Movement has successfully organized people across the globe that share the frustration of the negative results from inequity in the U.S. capitalist system that has existed since I can remember. But, for the movement to be effective, especially for those involved from the Hip-Hop community, the movement must not ride the waves of anger into waves of violence, but into action. Community Action that helps those most vulnerable in their community: children, young girls, and seniors is the best defense. For instance, imagine the impact of thousands around the world flooding a shelter to help those most vulnerable in their communities. Being part of the 99% is nothing new, especially for the African-American community. Don’t scoundrel this opportunity to leverage the impact of the thousands that have organized, these opportunities do not come often. When this organizing moment is a glimpse in the history books, will your only accomplishment be a T-Shirt that reads “We are the 99%.”

In Solidarity,

Afeni Shakur-Davis

Ages: 7 – 12
Saturday, December 17th
 Time: 12 noon – 1:30PM
Fee: $20.00
Ages: 13 and up
Time: 2:15PM – 4:15PM
Fee: $25.00

Jazmia past performances:
Performed with Beyonce’ for Oprah Winfrey’s 2011 Surprise Spectacular, and the Billboard Awards Show.
Featured in For Colored Girls
Big Momma’s House 3

A Cinderella Story: One upon a Song
True Colors Theatre Production of Black Nativity
Studies with Debbie Allen
Danced abroad in Paris France
Graduate of the North Atlanta High School Performing Arts Program.
For more information contact elanjazz@gmail.com

Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts Peace Garden
5616 Memorial Drive
Stone Mountain, GA 30083

Are you bold enough to take a journey through the Peace Garden? Do you have the guts? We Hope You Come Out In One Piece!

Tours start at 7:30PM – 11PM
All ages are welcome, kids under 10 must be with an adult.

Price:
$10.00 Adults
$7.00 Students
$5.00 Kids under 10

A proclamation issued by the Atlanta City Council will be presented to Cooke’s two surviving siblings, L. C. Cooke and David Cook, both of Chicago, IL.  Featured speakers will discuss Cooke’s prominence in the history of American popular music as well as his contributions to the 1960’s civil rights movement.

The program is the first of several weekend activities sponsored by the Sam Cooke Fan Club as part of its 6th Sam Cooke Tribute.  A buffet lunch and an afternoon bus tour of historic Atlanta sites, including a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic Site in the Sweet Auburn District, will follow the program.  The Fan Club will also host a Friday night dance party and a dinner and show on Saturday, October 15, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, located at 265 Peachtree Center Ave NE.  

Room reservations can be made by contacting the Marriott Marquis at 404-521-0000 and requesting the Sam Cooke Fan Club rate of $139 per night.

The program at TASF brings together fans of two legendary musical performers, both of whom were nearing the peak of their popularity at the time of their untimely deaths.  Cooke was shot and killed on December 11, 1964 in Los Angeles; Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996 in Las Vegas, where he died six days later.

“It is symbolic that a program honoring Sam Cooke should take place at the center dedicated to the memory of Tupac,” said Carlos Coleman, Community Outreach Director for TASF.  “Tupac was very much aware of Sam Cooke and his contributions,” Coleman added, “and he even mentioned Cooke in his poetry.”

For more information about the Sam Cooke Day program contact the TASF Center at (404) 298-4222.  For additional information and to register for the Fan Club’s 6th Tribute activities, contact Greg Alldredge, Fan Club President, at 310-701-9653 or Toni Cook Howard, Fan Club Vice President, at 312-550-1078.  Reservation forms are available at the Fan Club’s website, www.samcookefanclub.com.

About TASF
MISSION – Our mission is to provide training and support for students who aspire to enhance their creative talents. Each and every child desires freedom to creatively express themselves. We provide an environment that encourages freedom of expression, serves as a resource for families, and empowers via education.

ABOUT – Founded in 1997 by Afeni Shakur, mother of the multi-talented Tupac Shakur, the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (TASF) originally began as the Shakur Family Foundation. Afeni formed the Foundation as a way to bring quality arts training to our young people. A broad range of training is offered via the Annual Performing Arts Day Camp held at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts (home of the Foundation). Disciplines include creative writing, vocal technique, acting, stage set design, dance, poetry & spoken word, and the business of entertainment. The Performing Arts Day Camp is open to students ages 7-18.  The Foundation has also hosted Essay Competitions throughout the U.S., charity Golf Tournaments, & awarded scholarships to students pursuing undergraduate degrees.

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CONTACTS:        

Don Piper
Secretary, Sam Cooke Fan Club
Email:  dkpiper728@earthlink.net
Cell:   (818) 335-6809

Carlos Coleman
Community Outreach Director
 Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts
Email:  carloscoleman1@gmail.com
  Phone:  (404) 298-4222

Following two years of extensive collection and categorization, the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Robert W. Woodruff Library announces the opening of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Collection on the fifteenth anniversary of the death of the platinum recording artist, actor and poet who remains one of the most influential writers and performers in the hip hop/rap genre.

Submit your paper to the 1st Annual Tupac Amaru Shakur Collection Conference

Spanning a period from 1969 to 2008, this remarkable collection includes song lyrics, poems, track lists and video treatments, as well as manuscripts by Shakur family members and members of the rap groups Dramacydal and the Outlawz. Memorabilia, correspondence to and from Shakur, fan mail, media clippings and publicity materials are also included. Particularly noteworthy items within the collection are a handwritten video treatment for “Dear Mama,” his song that was inducted into the Library of Congress collection; a notebook of songs eventually recorded for Shakur’s immensely successful 2Pacalypse Now album; and handwritten drafts of poems included in The Rose That Grew from Concrete.  
 
The Shakur Collection represents a partnership between the AUC Woodruff Library and the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation to make available for scholarly research the manuscript writings and other papers of Shakur. The collection is extensive and comprises approximately 11 linear feet, with 30 boxes of materials, and has the distinction of being one of the few publicly available research collections of an individual hip hop artist.
 
Born in East Harlem, New York, Shakur first came to prominence in the early 1990s as a featured rapper for the vocal group Digital Underground and went on to become one of the most significant cultural icons of the hip hop generation. Prior to his untimely death at the age of 25, Shakur released five record albums and appeared in four motion pictures.
 
Ten albums, numerous compilations and four feature films have been released posthumously, including Tupac: Resurrection, which received an Academy Award nomination for “Best Documentary (Feature)” in 2005.
 
“We’re honored to have partnered with the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation to preserve the artistic legacy of Tupac Shakur through this collection,” said Loretta Parham, CEO and Library Director. “He transformed the landscape of hip hop culture and was one of the most compelling voices and talents of his generation. As an academic library, we feel privileged to be the stewards of the Shakur Collection and to promote for scholarly research.”
 
Vernal Cambridge, Executive Director of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation adds, “We are excited about the centralization of Tupac’s massive body of work and materials. The Tupac estate has done a great job at preserving his history. Similar to his albums, and documentary film, Tupac: Resurrection, this unique collection gives Tupac another opportunity to tell his story in his own words. The lessons that students, researchers, and fans can learn from this close and personal look at his writings are invaluable.”
 
The collection is available for research in digital and original formats in the AUC Woodruff Library’s Archives Research Center Reading Room. For inquiries about researching the collection, e-mail the Archives Research Center at archives@auctr.edu or call 404-978-2052.
 
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About the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation
The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation is home to the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, just outside of Atlanta in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The Center is dedicated to providing youth and the community with educational programs in the arts. It is a fact that early arts education improves school grades, as well as offers invaluable life lessons while building self esteem and confidence. For nearly 10 years, the Center’s programs have served youth of all social and economic backgrounds, giving countless young people the courage to get off the streets and learn vital skills that have the potential to positively impact their communities. The Center is open to the public and hosts several noteworthy events throughout the year. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.TASF.org.
 
About the Robert W. Woodruff Library and Archives Research Center
Constructed in 1982, the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Robert W. Woodruff Library serves the collective research and information needs of Clark Atlanta University, the Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College and Spelman College. The Woodruff Library’s Archives Research Center is the repository for historical materials documenting the AUC institutions, as well as manuscript collections and organizational records, including the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection and the Maynard Jackson Mayoral Administrative Records. To learn more about the Woodruff Library, visit www.auctr.edu. For inquiries about the Archives Research Center, e-mail archives@auctr.edu or call 404-978-2052.

Pac’s Life dance showcase is inspired by a collaboration of Tupac’s songs.Watch and follow along as Pac’s Kids’ take you on a journey of technical and intricate dance moves thru different genres of dance, from ballet ballroom, jazz, modern, and hip hop beginning from the womb until the end of time.

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