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. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 05:20, May 23, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/mutulu-shakur-507004
[Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/mutulu-shakur-507004, May 23
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[Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 May 23]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/mutulu-shakur-507004.
, http://www.biography.com/people/mutulu-shakur-507004 (last visited May 23, 2012).
, http://www.biography.com/people/mutulu-shakur-507004 (last visited May 23, 2012).
Early Experiences
Political activist, resistance leader. Born Jeral Wayne Williams on August 8, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of seven, moved to Queens, New York, with his mother and younger sister. His mother, who was legally blind, often struggled to get her needs met through the federal social programs. As the eldest of two children, Williams was often saddled with the responsibility of helping his mother navigate the social system,
and his early experiences with assistance programs helped Williams develop a strong distrust of the American government.
By the age of 16, Williams became heavily involved with the Republic of New Africa movement, which was focused on creating an African-American nation within the United States. Williams became a member of the Provisional Government of the Republic of New Africa, changed his name to Matulu Shakur-a title he derived from the name of his hero, Saladin Shakur-and devoted himself to the teachings of Malcolm X. He also began working very closely with Black Nationalist groups, including the Black Panther Party and the Revolutionary Action Movement.
Activism and Work
As the resistance movement grew, the United States government fought back to keep the groups under control. In 1969, while attending an RNA meeting in Detroit, Michigan, Mutulu and more than 100 members of the RNA ended up in a shootout with police. The conflict left one officer dead, and led to the arrest of RNA members. Shakur was one of the attendees who landed in jail, and after his release the FBI began heavy surveillance of Shakur and his family.
By 1970, Shakur had gained employment through the Lincoln Detox Community Program, providing counseling and treatment to heroin addicts. By 1976, Shakur had become Dr. Shakur, and received his certification to practice acupuncture in the State of California. Shakur began providing his acupuncture treatments to addicts at Lincoln who wanted an alternative to the Methadone method of detoxification.
Meanwhile, Shakur's RNA group had allied themselves with the controversial Weather Underground, a group of mostly white radical anti-war protestors who would later be connected to a series of bombings. To fund their movements, the groups combined forces and began planning elaborate robberies-the black members would rob the bank, while whites drove the getaway cars. Federal law enforcement agents believed that Shakur was using his acupuncture school as a front for these and other resistance activities. Despite their lack of evidence, police shut down the institution in 1979.
In August of 1980, Mutulu moved to Harlem, where he began the Black Acupuncture Advisory Association of North America. Shakur's methods of treatment made him internationally known in the medical community, and many community leaders, political activists, lawyers and doctors came to Shakur for treatment. He also helped the
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