Assata Shakur, an activist with the Black Liberation Army exiled in Cuba for four decades, has died in Havana, aged 78.
Shakur, also known as Joanne Chesimard, died Thursday of unspecified health conditions and advanced age, Cuba's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Friday.
She had been on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list for years after she escaped in 1979 from a New Jersey women's prison, where she was serving a life sentence following her murder conviction in a shootout that killed a New Jersey state trooper and a fellow activist.
Shakur maintained her innocence and reappeared in Cuba in 1984 where she was granted asylum by former president Fidel Castro.
Born JoAnne Deborah Byron in July 1947 in New York City, Shakur was raised between the city and Wilmington, North Carolina. She was the step-aunt and godmother of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. She became involved in political activism for black Americans while in college, first with the Black Panther Party and later the Black Liberation Army, both of which sought to combat systemic racism in the U.S.
Shakur was injured in a 1973 shootout with police that left a state trooper dead. She was subsequently arrested and tried but argued that her trial was unfair. She claimed in interviews that she escaped due to fears of not receiving justice in the U.S.
Her presence in Cuba has been a significant factor in the complex relationship between the communist island and the United States. Shakur was notably the first woman to be placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list, with significant rewards issued for her capture.
Celebrated in music, Shakur’s name has been featured in various songs, underscoring her lasting influence on the civil rights movement. She is survived by her daughter Kakuya Shakur, who expressed her profound loss online.
Shakur, also known as Joanne Chesimard, died Thursday of unspecified health conditions and advanced age, Cuba's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Friday.
She had been on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list for years after she escaped in 1979 from a New Jersey women's prison, where she was serving a life sentence following her murder conviction in a shootout that killed a New Jersey state trooper and a fellow activist.
Shakur maintained her innocence and reappeared in Cuba in 1984 where she was granted asylum by former president Fidel Castro.
Born JoAnne Deborah Byron in July 1947 in New York City, Shakur was raised between the city and Wilmington, North Carolina. She was the step-aunt and godmother of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. She became involved in political activism for black Americans while in college, first with the Black Panther Party and later the Black Liberation Army, both of which sought to combat systemic racism in the U.S.
Shakur was injured in a 1973 shootout with police that left a state trooper dead. She was subsequently arrested and tried but argued that her trial was unfair. She claimed in interviews that she escaped due to fears of not receiving justice in the U.S.
Her presence in Cuba has been a significant factor in the complex relationship between the communist island and the United States. Shakur was notably the first woman to be placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list, with significant rewards issued for her capture.
Celebrated in music, Shakur’s name has been featured in various songs, underscoring her lasting influence on the civil rights movement. She is survived by her daughter Kakuya Shakur, who expressed her profound loss online.
