Assata Shakur recently passed away from “health concerns and advanced age,” according to a statement from Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shakur was 78.
But, with Assata’s name now in headlines, people are wondering who she was and the legacy that she left behind. Here are some interesting facts about the late, iconic political activist.
The Black Panther Party & Black Liberation Army
Shakur, née JoAnne Deborah Byron, later changed to Chesimard, was a member of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s after college, where she played an integral role in establishing the free breakfast and free clinic programs in New York City. However, as the decade and the fight for Black empowerment raged on, Shakur became critical of the Black Panthers, particularly calling out the party for its toxic masculinity, gender disparities, and its perceived lack of Black history knowledge. By the 1970s, Shakur had defected from the BPP and joined the Black Liberation Army, also known as the BLA. The BLA was way more radical than the BPP and was involved in armed missions like planting bombs and robberies.
The New Jersey Shootout
But Shakur is notoriously known for her 1973 shootout that went down on the New Jersey Turnpike. Shakur shot State Trooper Werner Foerster, the second officer responding to the traffic light shootout, in the stomach and the arm after a tussle for his gun. Shakur and another man she was with attempted to flee the scene but were quickly caught and arrested. According to the New York Times, Shakur was sentenced to life in prison for her crimes — crimes that she has long denied and maintained her innocence.
Prison Escape & Cuba Refuge
After being convicted of the 1977 murder of Foerster, Shakur was placed in the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey. But in 1979, Assata made headlines again after managing to escape the facility with the help of the Black Liberation Army. Years later, Assata wound up in Cuba, where Fidel Castro had granted her political asylum. As a result, in 2013, Shakur became the first woman to be placed on the FBI’s most wanted terrorists list.
Tupac Shakur Connection
Assata Shakur is Tupac Shakur’s godmother through Assata’s brother, Mutulu Shakur. Assata was once quoted as praising 2Pac as a “genius,” adding “I love his music.”
Maintained Innocence
Shakur has maintained her innocence since the incident transpired in the 70s. During an interview with NBC New York in 1998, the political activist asserted she never killed anyone and was subjected to an unfair trial by an all-white jury. “I was shot with my arms in the air, then shot again in the back and left on the ground to die,” she said at the time. “Next thing I knew, they were coming by me and saying, ‘Is she dead yet, is she dead yet?’”
Assata Shakur lived in Cuba until her death.