“A 20th-century escaped slave.”

That’s how Assata Shakur describes herself.

Not as a victim.

Not as a martyr.

But as a survivor who refused to let the system win.

 

 

The Making of a Revolutionary

Assata Shakur was born Joanne Deborah Byron on July 16, 1947, in Jamaica, Queens, New York. She was raised by a circle of strong Black women — her mother, aunt, and grandmother — who laid the foundation for her awareness of racism, power, and self-worth.

From a young age, Assata recognized that America was not made for her freedom. The policing of Black children, the schools that miseducated, and the economic violence she witnessed shaped her worldview early on.

She eventually changed her name to Assata Olugbala Shakur, which means “she who struggles for liberation” in Yoruba and Arabic — a name that matched both her spirit and her mission.

Radicalized by Reality

In the late 1960s, amid the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and rising Black consciousness, Assata joined the Black Panther Party. She became an active voice in Harlem, organizing community health clinics, liberation schools, and free breakfast programs.

She didn’t just speak theory — she lived the work.

But Assata quickly noticed deep cracks in the movement:

Sexism. Surveillance. Strategic assassinations.

After witnessing the FBI’s war on the Panthers, she joined the Black Liberation Army (BLA) — a more underground movement that supported armed self-defense and Black autonomy.

“We didn’t believe in just turning the other cheek while being brutalized. We believed in protecting our communities, by any means necessary.”

 

 

The New Jersey Turnpike & COINTELPRO’s Trap

On May 2, 1973, Assata’s life changed forever.

While riding on the New Jersey Turnpike with Zayd Malik Shakur and Sundiata Acoli, they were pulled over by state troopers. A shootout occurred. Zayd and a trooper were killed. Assata was shot twice — once in the back, once in the arm — with her hands up.

Despite being severely wounded, she was arrested and charged with murder.

What followed was a political trial soaked in media bias and COINTELPRO manipulation. The state labeled her a “cop killer,” despite:

• No fingerprints on the weapon
• Medical proof she couldn’t have fired a gun
• A history of government surveillance already in play

Still, in 1977, she was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

“I was convicted in the media before I ever stepped foot in the courtroom.”

The Great Escape & Exile in Cuba

On November 2, 1979, with the help of fellow freedom fighters, Assata escaped from prison.

It wasn’t a Hollywood stunt. It was a coordinated act of resistance. She disappeared from public view and, by 1984, had found asylum in Cuba, where the government recognized her as a political prisoner — not a criminal.

She’s been there ever since.

Free. Alive. Unapologetic.

The U.S. government placed her on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List in 2013 and still offers a $2 million bounty for her return.

But Cuba refuses to extradite her, standing by her right to live without fear of persecution.

 

What Assata Stood For

Assata Shakur wasn’t fighting for fame.

She was fighting for:

• Black self-determination
• Freedom from state violence
• The right to resist systems of oppression
• Healing, education, and unity among Black people

She didn’t believe America was broken.

She believed it was working exactly as designed — and needed to be dismantled and rebuilt with truth, justice, and real equality.

She also spoke fiercely about Black women’s role in revolution:

“A woman’s place is in the struggle — beside her brothers and sisters, not behind them.”

 

 

Her Words Live On

Her autobiography, Assata: An Autobiography, is a required read for truth-seekers and freedom dreamers. Her words are now protest chants, affirmations, and political study across the globe.

“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.”

 

 

 

 

Legacy & Why They Still Fear Her

Assata Shakur represents everything the system fears:

• A Black woman who won’t fold
• A survivor who can’t be silenced
• A living reminder that the U.S. has always criminalized Black resistance

But to us?

She’s a living legend.

A symbol of resistance.

A voice for those lost to the prison system.

A blueprint for radical self-love, protection, and freedom.

 

 

Give Her Her Flowers

Assata Shakur did not ask to be made into a myth.

She just wanted freedom — and paid the price for seeking it.

Now it’s our duty to keep her story alive, her name sacred, and her lessons front and center for a new generation.

Because as long as Assata lives — we remember that survival is revolution.

 

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