IANA Blog- October 2025

 Blog

Happy October,

For this month’s blog, I wanted to pay tribute to a political activist, revolutionary, one of the faces of the Black Power/Black Liberation movement and one of the greatest freedom fighters to ever live, Assata Shakur, who died on September 25th, five days before October started. Assata passed away from health issues in Havana, Cuba. Before I go on, I wanted to talk about who she was before I pay tribute to her, especially for members of IANA who don’t know who Assata Shakur was.

Assata Shakur was born JoAnne Deborah Byron on July 16, 1947 in New York City. She lived between New York and Wilmington, North Carolina. Because her family struggled with poverty and argued over it, she would run away and live with her aunt Evelyn A. Williams, who was a civil rights worker, who she looked up to. Assata would later get a GED after dropping out of Cathedral High School, a Catholic all-girls high school in Manhattan, New York. She had dealt with discrimination from her teachers and realized the way they teach at schools was very oppressive and racist. She became politically involved in different activities when she attended City College of New York in the mid-1960s, including sit-ins, protests and even getting interested in communism after getting involved in a debate with African students in 1964 at Columbia University on the Vietnam War and getting arrested for the first time in 1967 for her involvement in a protest. In December 1967, she would marry Louis Chesimard, a fellow student activist at CCNY, but they would divorce in 1970, over different views on gender roles.

After attending CCNY, Assata (who was still referred to as JoAnne Chesimard) would move to Oakland, California, where she joined the Black Panther Party and worked to organize protests and community education programs. Assata would later move back to New York to lead the New York chapter of the Black Panthers, coordinating the Free Breakfast program, free clinics and community outreach. She also became friends with fellow Black Panther Afeni Shakur, the mother of legendary hip hop artist Tupac Shakur, (who is also Assata’s step-nephew/godson). Afeni would eventually marry her brother, Dr. Mutulu Shakur. Assata would eventually leave the Black Panthers due to the chauvinistic attitude of the male members and because many members at the time lacked knowledge and understanding of African-American history. In 1971, she joined the Black Liberation Army, an organization composed of former members of the Black Panther Party and the Republic of New Afrika, and changed her name from JoAnne Chesimard to Assata Olugbala Shakur. In Yoruba, the name “Assata” means “she who struggles” and “Olugbala” means “love for the people” and “savior,” and embraced her African lineage.

Because the BLA was heavily influenced by the Vietcong and Algerian independence fighters during the Battle of Algiers, they used guerrilla tactics to fight back against US racism and the U.S. government, including planting bombs, robbing banks and shooting back against police. Just like the Black Panthers, the BLA along with many other organizations that were active during the Black Power movement were targeted by the FBI under COINTELPRO, especially Assata who was targeted for manhunts and being accused of different crimes in 1971 and 1972. It was in 1973 that would be a changing moment for Assata Shakur.

On May 2, 1973, Assata, along with Black Panther Zayd Malik Shakur and BLA member Sundiata Acoli, were involved in a shootout on the New Jersey turnpike. The shootout left Zayd Shakur dead and Assata badly injured as the police choked and beat her, on her way to the hospital. She and Sundiata Acoli were charged for murder of one of the state troopers, although medical evidence proved that Assata never shot a trooper at all, as her clavicle was injured by the police, being shot after surrendering by putting her hands in the air and there was no evidence of gunpowder on her. It didn’t matter, even though she was acquitted and dismissed of other charges and was defended by civil rights lawyer William Kunstler, she was still wrongfully convicted by an all-white jury for the murder and was forced to serve her time as a political prisoner. She served 21 months in Rikers Island. During this time, she was tortured and beaten while imprisoned and was also forced to serve time in a men’s prison. She was also pregnant by a member of the BLA and fellow political prisoner, Kamau Sadiki. In 1974, her daughter Kakuya was born. Years later, after multiple acts of torture and other mistreatments, things would change in 1979.

In 1979, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, along with BLA member Sekou Odinga and activists Silvia Baraldini and Marilyn Buck, helped Assata escape. All four were charged, especially Mutulu and Buck, who were convicted in 1988 for their involvement, along with being charged for robbery. After Assata’s escape, the FBI circulated Wanted posters of Assata, while an ongoing movement in support of Assata was happening around the same time. Supporters hung posters that said, “Assata Shakur is Welcome Here.” There was also a movement called the Hands Off Assata Campaign, which involved the fight for Assata’s freedom, with the chant, “Hands Off Assata.” In 1984, four years later after her escape, it was revealed that Assata was living under political asylum in Cuba. The Cuban government paid $13 a day for Assata to live in Cuba. Her daughter was able to live with her a year later and in an open letter, she referred to herself as a “20th century escaped slave” and she praised Cuba’s president Fidel Castro as a “hero of the oppressed.”

In 1987, Assata would publish an autobiographical book, Assata: An Autobiography, which was highly praised. She started writing it in 1984, when she arrived in Cuba. There have been multiple attempts to bring Assata back to the US, even increasing the bounty on her head in 2013 after putting her on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list (being the first woman on the list) and referring to herself by her birth name, but Cuba wouldn’t allow it, especially under Castro, who claimed that Assata was a victim of racial persecution and said that “they wanna portray her as a terrorist, something that was an injustice, a brutality, an infamous lie.” Even with the constant threats from the U.S., Assata was able to continue to live in Cuba and was living there up until her death.

That’s just a little about Assata Shakur. If you wanna know more, I recommend reading her book. I got to read a little of it years ago and I definitely want to reread it. I also recommend watching her documentary, “Eyes on the Rainbow”. For me, growing up, the only thing I remembered about Assata Shakur was that she was 2Pac’s aunty. I knew she was a member of the Black Panthers and she was targeted by the FBI.

After reading parts of her book, watching documentaries about her and learning more about her, she became an even bigger inspiration to me. I told myself if I ever got a chance to go to Cuba, I’d want to meet Assata Shakur. If I had a “Mount Rushmore” of Female Black Revolutionaries, I’d include her along with Harriet Tubman, Angela Davis and Winnie Mandela. I also appreciate the fact that she embraced her African lineage. As I watched her documentary and other documentaries, she was into African spirituality, especially when she moved to Cuba. I also appreciate her political and social views, especially being a supporter of Socialism, Pan Africanism and Liberation for all Black people, especially Black women and all Oppressed people. When I found out she died that Thursday morning, it ruined my morning a little bit. I was hoping it wasn’t true, until her daughter and Cuba made it official, I had to come to terms. 

Also being a hip hop fan, I always appreciate the hip hop artists who reference her in their music, (with the exception of the ones who just use her name for clout). She in some ways became a hip hop icon. Some of those hip hop artists who referenced her include Public Enemy in their song “Rebel Without a Pause”, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Paris, 2Pac in his song, “Words of Wisdom” and Common who dedicated a song to her called “A Song for Assata,” which explored her story, including her arrest, her mistreatment and her escape. That particular song is one I’ve been listening to all month and it’s one of my favorite songs from Common.

Unfortunately, this is nothing new, as when you are a revolutionary, a freedom fighter, someone who shakes up the status quo, you will be targeted (as mentioned in the August blog), but still hearing about the injustice that Assata Shakur received when she was in the U.S. is something I find incredibly disgusting. The fact that people will proudly call Assata a murderer or a criminal is a slap in the face, knowing damn well the evidence proves she never could’ve shot anyone. Just like I expected, the media was disrespecting her. I saw different news channels and idiots on social media starting off by calling her a “fugitive” or bringing up how she was “wanted for murder”, purposely using her birth name, they wouldn’t even bring up the fact that the evidence proved she was innocent. Right-wing media heads spent the whole week calling her a “cop killer”. The rest of the media spent the whole week dehumanizing her. They spent weeks crying over, mourning over and paying tribute to a racist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, right-wing bigot (you know who), but villainized a real hero like Assata Shakur. I also remember talking to someone about her death and he brought up how a lot of these Black politicians in the U.S. failed Assata and many of the freedom fighters who were punished by the system along with the political prisoners and I agreed with him, because a lot of these politicians had forever to fight for the innocence of many of these revolutionaries, especially Assata and only a couple of them actually tried. What’s even more irritating was how she never got a chance to come back to the U.S. and clear her name.

What made me happy though was the fact that she was able to pass away in Cuba instead of the U.S. and was protected heavily. It was great to know she is heavily revered in Cuba. It’s great to know how much of an influence she is to many people, an influence to left-wing activists, an influence to the Black Lives Matter movement and the inspiration for Assata’s Daughters, an organization made up of young radical Black women in Chicago. She literally became the icon for Black Liberation. I also appreciate her views of what freedom is. At the end of Common’s “A Song For Assata”, Assata is heard being interviewed by Common and Common asks her what freedom is to her. This is how she responded,

Freedom. You’re asking me about freedom? Asking me about freedom? I’ll be honest with you, I know a whole lot more about what freedom isn’t, than what it is, cause I’ve never been free. I can only share my vision with you of the future about what freedom is. The way I see it, Freedom is the right to grow, is the right to blossom, Freedom is the right to be yourself, to be who you are, to be who you want to be, to do what you want to do.

Hearing her say that about freedom changed my views on what freedom is. Instead of using the word freedom, I would rather use the word liberation, which I feel is more powerful than freedom. I’ll say this though, even though Assata said that she’s never been free, I feel like her at least living in, being protected and being embraced in Cuba was probably the closest thing to her being free. Now that she’s with the ancestors, I’m hoping that she finally feels free. The love that I have seen Assata receive after her passing will be remembered over the dehumanizing that the media has done to her.

Now that Assata is with the ancestors, I hope that the story of Assata Shakur continues to inspire those in the future, inspires many to continue to fight for liberation, I know she inspires me to continue to be the change in the world. I know for a fact that Assata’s legacy will live on, along with the many revolutionaries and freedom fighters who risked their lives to free us all. It only makes sense, considering that this is also the month that the Black Panthers celebrate their anniversary as well. That’s why it was “Hands off Assata” then, it’s still“Hands off Assata” now and will always be “Hands off Assata” forever. One of Assata’s most famous quotes came from when she was imprisoned, which became a powerful rally cry for movements fighting for justice, equality and liberation. It’s a quote I feel inspired by so I’ll say it. 

“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

Let me know what you think IANA. What did you know about Assata Shakur? How did you hear about Assata? What does Assata mean to you?

Link to Common’s “A Song For Assata”- A Song For Assata (with Lyrics) - Common

Link to “Eyes of the Rainbow” documentary about Assata Shakur-Eyes Of The Rainbow a documentary film with Assata Shakur

Link to video of Assata talking about Socialism- Assata Shakur on Socialism