Assata Olugbala Shakur, the legendary political activist and former member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA) who became a pivotal figure in the American struggle for Black liberation, died on September 25, 2025, in Havana, Cuba, at the age of 78.
Her passing marks the end of a long life lived in exile. Her life spanned the revolutionary fervor of the 1960s and the decades-long stalemate between two nations over her fate.
Born JoAnne Deborah Byron in Queens, New York, in 1947, Shakur rose to prominence under the name Assata Shakur during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
She was a member of both the Black Panther Party and the more militant Black Liberation Army. She dedicated herself to the Black Power movement and challenging systemic racism in the United States.
Her activism made her a target of the FBI’s counterintelligence program, COINTELPRO. The government organization actively sought to dismantle and discredit Black nationalist groups.
The New Jersey Turnpike Incident
Shakur’s life took a dramatic turn on May 2, 1973, following a pivotal shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike. She, along with two fellow BLA members, was pulled over by State Troopers. The confrontation resulted in the death of State Trooper Werner Foerster and BLA member Zayd Malik Shakur. Assata Shakur was wounded and subsequently arrested.
Her trial became a political flashpoint. Shakur was eventually convicted of first-degree murder and other felonies related to the incident in 1977.
She and her supporters maintained that the trial was tainted by racism and prosecutorial misconduct. She consistently proclaimed her innocence. Shakur argued that she was shot with her hands raised and could not have fired a weapon. Despite her defense, she was sentenced to life in prison.
Escape and Asylum
Her story of resistance wasn’t over. On November 2, 1979, Shakur executed an escape from a Correctional Facility in New Jersey, aided by armed allies. Her flight from justice became a rallying cry for activists and a decades-long pursuit for U.S. law enforcement.
After years underground, Shakur surfaced in Cuba in 1984, where she was granted political asylum by Fidel Castro’s government.
In Cuba, she lived relatively openly, publishing her autobiography, Assata. The book became a foundational text for a new generation of activists.
To the U.S. government, however, she remained a fugitive. In 2013, the FBI designated her a “Most Wanted Terrorist,” the first woman to receive that designation. They also offered a $2 million reward for information leading to her capture.
Despite repeated extradition efforts by the U.S., Cuba steadfastly refused to send her back. Furthermore, they cited her status as a victim of political persecution.
A Life in Exile
Shakur’s passing closes a contentious chapter in U.S. history, embodying the deep divides over issues of race, justice, and state power. To the families of law enforcement, she was a convicted murderer who evaded justice.
Moreover, to countless activists, she was a revolutionary hero, a symbol of resistance to state oppression, and an icon whose legacy is immortalized in political speeches, literature, and hip-hop culture.
She died far from the country where she was born and the revolution she fought for. However, her words of defiance—such as, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains”—will continue to resonate in the enduring fight for civil rights and racial justice.