Assata Shakur Dead at 78
Assata Shakur’s daughter confirmed the news of her mother’s passing, who had been living as a fugitive in Cuba after her 1979 prison escape.
Havana, Cuba: JoAnn Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur, holding the manuscript of her autobiography with Old Havana, Cuba, in the background on October 7, 1987.
Photo by Ozier Muhammad/Newsday RM via Getty Images.
One of the most famous members of the Black Liberation Movement has passed away.
According to Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Assata Shakur died at the age of 78 on Thursday. Their press release lists the cause of death as being due to “health conditions and advanced age.” Her daughter, Kakuya Shakur, confirmed the news in a Facebook post Friday morning.
“At approximately 1:15pm on September 25th, my mother, Assata Shakur, took her last earthly breath,” Kakuya wrote. “Words cannot describe the depth of loss that I am feeling at this time. I want to thank you for your loving prayers that continue to anchor me in the strength that I need in this moment. My spirit is overflowing in unison with all of you who are grieving with me at this time. Sending much love and appreciation to you all, Kakuya Shakur.”
In her lifetime, Shakur was both a Black Panther and a member of the Black Liberation Army, an organization formed to fight against systemic racism in the U.S.. As a member of the Black Liberation Army, her activities made her the target of law enforcement.
After being shot and arrested in a deadly shootout with police in 1973 and being taken to trial in a variety of cases, Shakur was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges for the 1973 incident, which resulted in the death of a police officer. After being sentenced to life in prison, she escaped in 1979 with the help of allies on the outside. She eventually fled to Cuba, where she was granted political asylum in 1984. She remained there until she died
While she was convicted of first degree murder for the death of the officer, the United States’ COINTELPRO (Counter-Intelligence Program) initiative was designed to discredit and dissolve revolutionary movements, and declassified records confirm they targeted both the Black Panther Party and other Black liberation groups and activists. So, many doubted her guilt. For her part, Shakur maintained her innocence, saying that she was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
As part of the Shakur family, a collective of Panther members and other revolutionaries who adopted the name Shakur, she has been reported as the godmother of Tupac Shakur, who looked up to her greatly.
In the years following her escape, she was revered as a hero by many, even as the FBI kept her on its most wanted list as recently as 2013.
