Catholic-raised urban fiction author Donald Goines to be honored with mural, biopic

A new mural of the famed African-American writer Donald Goines Sr. is set to be revealed next week in Michigan, along with plans for a new biopic on the late urban fiction stalwart.

Robert Forte “Seven” Shannon III announced the event this month in collaboration with Eldorado Red Pictures, which is to handle the film starring and produced by Shannon himself. A public unveiling of the mural by local graffiti artist Sintex will take place at Parker Village HP in Highland Park on Monday, Oct. 21—the 50th anniversary of Goines’ death.

The film, which would be the first to cover Goines's life, is in its early planning stages and is being created with the help of local producers Dylan Sides and Juan Shannon, as well as Goines’ son, Donald Jr. His daughter Donna is also expected to be present at the event.

“We are collaborating with a talented team of community leaders, artists, and professionals, including Detroit's own Dylan Sides, the best cinematographer in town, who has joined us as a producer,” reads a press release. 

“Together, we are launching a crowdfunding campaign to bring this story to life, and we want to kick off this campaign in a way that truly honors Donald Goines.”

Born in Detroit to a middle-class Black Catholic family in the 1930s, Goines gained fame as a writer after his service in the Air Force during the Korean War and following prison stints for various crimes related to the drug trade. 

Influenced by the pimp-turned-bestseller Robert “Iceberg Slim” Beck, Goines went on to write 16 books, which are estimated to have sold more than 5 million copies to date. Later in life, he wrote his four-volume “Kenyatta” series under the pen name Al C. Clark, in part because he fictionalized people and experiences from his hard-knock adulthood.

Struggling with drug addiction throughout his life, Goines wrote two of his most popular novels—”Dopefriend” and “Whoreson”—while he was incarcerated. He reportedly worked at a rapid pace, sometimes completing books by the month, to avoid needing income from crime.

Goines tragically died in 1974 at age 37 in a double murder at his residence, which also claimed the life of his common-law wife Shirley Sailor. The perpetrators have never been found, and the motive was unknown.

Goines’ impact on Black culture was sizable, with rappers such as Tupac, Ludacris, Jadakiss, and Nas making reference to his work in their music. His novels have also been credited with encouraging literacy in urban populations as well as in some prisons.

Since Goines’ death, his work has been adapted into two movies, “Crime Partners” (2001), starring rappers Ice-T, Snoop Dogg, and Ja Rule, and “Never Die Alone” (2004), starring DMX and David Arquette. 

Shannon says the planned Goines film and new mural will celebrate his impact on his hometown and the nearby city where he died. His funeral was described as an “almost cult-like affair,” with hundreds paying their respects to the late culture-bearer.

“Detroit and Highland Park share some good times and bad. They also share his story! We’re taking part in a vital nexus for Highland Park!” reads the press release for next week’s unveiling event, which will begin at 12pm ET.

“It’s going to be a Highland Park renaissance.”

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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