Asani Shakur
SAYS Warrior Scholar

Asani Shakur, also known as Geno, is a proud seed that grew up through the concrete cracks of Richmond, CA. He is a motivational speaker, published-writer, poet, educator, and inspiring author. Despite being a product of the school-to-prison pipeline; where he served five years after being indicted by the F.B.I. in 2007. Asani still managed to earn a full-academic scholarship to UCLA in 2014. Where he graduated at the top of his class summa cum laude; majoring in African-American studies (class of 2016) and also graduating from CSU-East Bay with his M.B.A. degree. Asani accomplished these goals through the SAYS philosophy that “School is my hustle”, an empowering concept of hustling towards your goals as oppose to destruction. As a father of two boys ages four and eleven, Asani understands the importance of being a “real” model and not a “role model” to the youth. As a self-described Tupac and Malcolm X scholar, Asani has transformed from once being a community drug dealer to becoming a community healer through his mentorship and artivism.