Joanne Chesimard, who adopted the name Assata Shakur and was affiliated with the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, departing Middlesex County courthouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on April 25, 1977.
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Assata Shakur, a prominent figure in the Black liberation movement who was granted political refuge in Cuba following her 1979 prison escape in the United States-where she was serving a life sentence for the killing of a police officer-has passed away, according to statements from her daughter and Cuban officials.
Born Joanne Deborah Chesimard, Shakur died on Thursday in Havana, Cuba’s capital, as reported by Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, citing “health complications and advanced age.” Her daughter, Kakuya Shakur, confirmed the news through a Facebook announcement.
Authorities in New Jersey, the state where Shakur was arrested, convicted, and incarcerated, reported her age as 78 at the time of her death.
Shakur’s involvement with the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army made her case a symbol of the tense diplomatic relationship between the United States and Cuba. For decades, U.S. officials-including former President Donald Trump-repeatedly demanded her extradition from Cuba.
The FBI had listed Shakur among its “most wanted terrorists,” yet she and her supporters maintained that she was targeted unjustly or for actions they considered acts of resistance.
On May 2, 1973, Shakur and two associates were stopped by New Jersey State Police due to a malfunctioning taillight on their vehicle.
A violent confrontation followed, resulting in the death of State Trooper Werner Foerster and injuries to another officer. One of Shakur’s companions was also killed during the incident.
Originally from New York City, Shakur fled but was later captured. In 1977, she was convicted of murder, armed robbery, and other offenses, receiving a life sentence. Additional charges related to bank robberies and nonfatal shootings of two other officers were either dropped or led to acquittals.
Her imprisonment was interrupted in November 1979 when members of the Black Liberation Army, disguised as visitors, infiltrated the Clinton Correctional Facility for women, took two guards hostage, and used a prison van to facilitate her escape.
Shakur vanished from public view until 1984, when she resurfaced in Cuba, where then-leader Fidel Castro granted her asylum.
Cuba’s decision to shelter Shakur was a notable example of its support for revolutionary movements it viewed as opposing the capitalist system of the United States.
Similar to its backing of anti-colonial and leftist groups across Africa and Latin America, the Cuban government regarded the armed Black liberation struggle in the U.S. as part of a worldwide fight for justice.
New Jersey State Assemblyman Michael Inganamort, who introduced a resolution last year urging Cuba to extradite Shakur, expressed regret that “justice was never achieved” in the case of Trooper Foerster’s death. Meanwhile, the union representing New Jersey law enforcement condemned Shakur for her “crime and cowardice.”
Governor Phil Murphy and State Police Superintendent Patrick Callahan declared their firm opposition to any efforts to repatriate Shakur’s remains to the United States.
In a joint statement, they remarked, “Tragically, she has passed away without facing full accountability for her grave offenses. Trooper Foerster, unlike his killer, was denied the chance to live out his life in peace.”
Sundiata Acoli, also convicted in connection with Foerster’s killing, was released on parole in 2022 after nearly 30 years behind bars.
Throughout her life, Shakur consistently asserted her innocence regarding the shooting, claiming she had her hands raised when wounded during the confrontation.
Her writings gained renewed attention amid the Black Lives Matter movement, though critics accused her of promoting Marxist and communist ideologies.
In her 1988 memoir, Assata: An Autobiography, she wrote, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Black Lives Matter Grassroots Inc., a coalition of racial justice advocates across the U.S., pledged to continue “the struggle in her honor and memory.”
Malkia Amala Cyril, an early Black Lives Matter organizer whose mother was a Black Panther alongside Shakur in New York, expressed sorrow over Shakur’s passing amid a global rise in authoritarianism.
“In today’s world, the kind of bravery and radical compassion she embodied is essential for our survival,” Cyril stated.
Shakur’s impact also resonated in the music industry. She was closely connected to the family of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, who regarded her as a godmother figure.
Political hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, were among the first major artists to reference her. Their 1988 track Rebel Without a Pause from the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back includes the line “supporter of Chesimard,” her birth name.
Grammy-winning rapper Common recounted her story in his 2000 song A Song for Assata. His invitation to a White House poetry event in 2011 during the Obama administration sparked controversy among conservatives and law enforcement groups, who viewed it as disrespectful to Trooper Foerster’s family and police officers in general.
