Mumia Shimaka-Mbasu

EULOGY OF THE LATE RICHARD MUMIA SHIMAKA April 4, 1949 – May 30, 2020 Richard Mumia Shimaka was born April 4, 1949 in Kakamega, Kenya, to Zakayo Mbasu and Delila Shimaka. He was the third of nine children, five of whom are still with us here today. After completing primary and secondary school in Kenya, Mumia came to the United States for further studies in 1971 under the sponsorship of Homer L. Veil family missionaries in Kenya and the North Carolina Friends Meeting. In the U.S., he earned his BA from Guilford College and his Masters in African History from Ohio University. He then moved to Washington, D.C., to pursue a Ph.D from Howard University. At Howard University he met Beverly Atkins, whom he married in 1984. He stayed in the Washington, D.C. area for the next thirty years, working as a historical curator at the Smithsonian Institution and then later as a high school teacher in Maryland. He was as a volunteer soccer coach for about twenty-five years, spreading his love of the game to minority youth all over the D.C. metro area. Mumia stayed an active member of the Quaker Community wherever he lived, including over thirty years of service with the Adelphi Friends and, most recently, here with the Minneapolis Friends. Mumia was a kind person and loving family man. He loved his siblings and the community where he was born in Kakamega. He started various community projects to assist the less privileged, in line with the strong values his parents imparted on him from childhood. He was privileged to sponsor some of his friends and family members to immigrate and study in the United States and encouraged others to work hard in their studies in order to better their lives. Mumia moved to Minnesota in the summer of 2012 after suffering a stroke that left his speech impaired and his mobility diminished. While in Minnesota, he lived in Bloomington under the care of his two sisters, supported by other members of his loving family. Although physically and vocally impaired, he remained active and engaged—attending Meetings, going to the gym, gardening, cooking, visiting family. Despite being unable to speak, he was able to win friends and positively impact people with his warmth of spirit wherever he went. One week ago, Mumia was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with COVID-19. The virus was hard on his body, and on May 31, 2020 at 4:06am Central Time, Mumia Shimaka was finally able to rest. He is survived by his four children—Rebecca, Mukosi, Lela and Christian. He has been a loving father, brother, uncle and grandfather to his family, and a positive addition to every community he lived in. He was loved by many and will be greatly missed. May he Rest in Peace.

Tributes

Mumia Shimaka-Mbasu

April 4, 1949 - May 31, 2020

Tributes

Mumia Shimaka-Mbasu

April 4, 1949 - May 31, 2020

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