Key Takeaways
- Assata Shakur’s daughter, Kakuya Shakur, announced her passing in a Facebook post honoring her mother’s legacy.
- Her activism spanned civil rights, the Black Panther Party, and the Black Liberation Army.
- She spent decades in political exile in Cuba after being granted asylum by their government.
Assata Shakur, a famed political activist and godmother to Tupac Shakur, has died at age 78. Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed she passed away in Havana, Cuba, as a result of “health conditions and advanced age” on Thursday (Sept. 25).
Her daughter, Kakuya Shakur, shared the news in a heartfelt Facebook post. “At approximately 1:15 PM on September 25th, my mother, Assata Shakur, took her last earthly breath. Words cannot describe the depth of loss that I am feeling at this time,” she wrote. “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.”
Also known as Joanne Deborah Chesimard or Joanne Deborah Byron, Assata was reportedly born in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, and grew up between there and Wilmington, North Carolina, where her grandmother lived. She became active in advocating for racial and political justice while attending Borough of Manhattan Community College and City College of New York. After graduation, she joined the Black Panther Party and later transitioned to the Black Liberation Army.
A life of political struggle and survival
In 1977, Assata was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper during a shootout. She escaped prison in 1979 and fled to Cuba, where she was granted political asylum. She consistently maintained her innocence and became a symbol of resistance for many on the political left. In a 1998 letter to Pope John Paul II, while he was on a trip to Cuba, she requested extradition. She wrote, “I have advocated and I still advocate revolutionary changes in the structure and in the principles that govern the United States. I advocate self-determination for my people and for all oppressed inside the United States. I advocate an end to capitalist exploitation, the abolition of racist policies, the eradication of sexism, and the elimination of political repression. If that is a crime, then I am totally guilty.”
Assata was also the godmother and step-aunt of Tupac Shakur. In 2013, the FBI added her to its list of the Top 10 most-wanted terrorists — making her the first woman ever placed on the list.