Cuban officials announced that Assata Shakur, a former member of the Black Liberation Army, died in Cuba at the age of 78; her conviction in the 1973 killing of a New Jersey state trooper made her one of the most wanted fugitives in America. They said she passed away in Havana from health complications related to old age.
Born Joanne Chesimard in Flushing, Queens, Shakur grew up in New York City and Wilmington, North Carolina. After a turbulent childhood, during which she ran away from home multiple times, she was taken in by her aunt, who later became one of her lawyers. While attending Borough of Manhattan Community College and City College of New York, she became involved in political activism. During this period, she adopted the name Assata Shakur—with “Assata” meaning “she who struggles,” “Olugbala” meaning “the one who saves,” and “Shakur” meaning “the thankful one.” She briefly joined the Black Panther Party before moving on to the more militant Black Liberation Army.
Assata Shakur, born Joanne Chesimard, has remained on the FBI’s Most Wanted list since her 1979 escape from prison, where she was serving a life sentence for the murder of a New Jersey state trooper; Photo Credit: Getty Images and FBI
In 1977, Shakur was convicted of the murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, who was killed during a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973. Two years later, in 1979, she broke free from prison and fled to Cuba, where Fidel Castro’s government granted her political asylum. Her escape cemented her place on both the FBI’s Most Wanted List and the New Jersey State Police’s Most Wanted List, with the FBI and the New Jersey attorney general each offering $1 million rewards for information leading to her capture.
Assata Shakur was granted political asylum by then Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, after escaping U.S. prison in 1979 and remained there until her death, despite U.S. extradition orders; Photo Credit: Facebook, SHOBHA, and Cubania Travel
For decades, U.S. authorities sought her extradition, but Cuba consistently refused. Shakur remained a polarizing figure—celebrated by some as a revolutionary symbol and condemned by others as a convicted murderer who evaded justice.
Shakur was both the step-aunt and godmother of the late rap icon Tupac Shakur through her stepbrother, Mutulu Shakur, who married Tupac’s mother. Her family ties and revolutionary legacy helped keep her name alive in popular culture. Her death in Havana closes a chapter in one of the most controversial and politically charged cases of the Black Liberation era.
