Tupac Shakur
Shakur in 1996, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Lesane Parish Crooks
Date of Birth: June 16, 1971
Place of Birth: East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Death: September 13, 1996
Place of Death: Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Ethnicity: African-American [including, possibly, Tuareg]
Tupac Shakur was an American rapper, songwriter, and actor.
He was the son of African-American parents, William Garland and Afeni Shakur (born Alice Faye Williams). He was born Lesane Parish Crooks. He adopted his surname, “Shakur”, from his stepfather, black nationalist Mutulu Shakur (who was born Jeral Wayne Williams). His mother gave him the name Tupac Amaru after the Peruvian revolutionary Túpac Amaru II. His parents were Black Panther members. His mother was also a businessperson, philanthropist, political activist. His stepbrother is rapper Mopreme Shakur.
His father is said to have Tuareg heritage, an African ethnic group. It is not clear if this ancestry has been verified/documented.
A video with Tupac’s father can be seen here.
Tupac’s paternal grandmother was Eloise Marie Barnes (the daughter of Walter Barnes and Carnell Phoenix/Williams). Eloise was born in Florida. A picture of Tupac’s paternal grandparents can be seen here.
Tupac’s maternal grandfather was named Walter Williams, Jr. (the son of The Rev. Walter Williams and Lena).
Tupac’s maternal grandmother was Rosa Belle McLellan (the daughter of Kennie McLellan and Rosa Lee Powers). Tupac’s grandmother Rosa was born in North Carolina. Kennie was the son of Peter McLellan. Tupac’s great-grandmother Rosa’s father was Robert Powers, who was the son of a slave named Jeffrey Powers. Rosa’s mother was Millie Ann Wooten.
Sources: Genealogies of Tupac Shakur (focusing on his mother’s side) – http://www.wargs.com
https://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com
Tupac’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Robert Powers, on the 1870 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Tupac’s maternal great-great-great-grandfather, Jeffrey/Jeff Powers, on the 1850 U.S. Slave Schedule – https://familysearch.org
Maybe he had a bit of Native in him too
His paternal grandmother was Eloise Marie Barnes. She is pictured here:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/392376186286353351/
Here are both of his paternal grandparents, but I don’t know the name of his paternal grandfather:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e2/78/a5/e278a5d3abf899e0618c4bc5da3263e0.jpg
Here’s his father Billy Garland. He looks just like him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZQ4AyT_hms
Tupac’s paternal grandmother was Eloise Marie Barnes (the daughter of Walter Barnes and Carnell Phoenix/Williams). Eloise was born in Florida.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:S1MN-C2M
His African-American ethnicity includes Tuareg.
Rosa Belle’s maiden surname is McLellan, and was the daughter of Kennie McLellan and Rosa Lee Powers. Kennie was the son of Peter McLellan. Rosa was the daughter of Robert Powers and Millie Ann Wooten.
REMARK: Take note that Robert Powers was black. Here’s his 1870 U.S. Census: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW8B-F31
Robert’s own father, Jeffrey Powers, was also black. On his slave master Matthew Powers’ 1850 slave schedule, he was aged 22 and black rather than mulatto: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-673S-4V9
This does not imply at all that he was Tuareg (a Berber ethnic group).