Remembering Assata Olugbala Shakur 1947-2025
As we age, those we consider heroes and heroines began to depart this life. On Thursday 25 September 2025, Assata Olugbala Shakur transitioned from this life. Assata Shakur was born on 16 July 1947 in New York. At birth her parents named her JoAnne Deborah Byron.
Assata was a member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. Assata was a contemporary of Angela Davis, Kathleen Cleaver, Afeni Shakur, Jamil Al Amin (formerly named H. Rap Brown).
Prior to becoming Tupac Shakur's "Godmother," Assata was important part of the African Diaspora history based on her own merit.
Assata fled to Cuba after being given a life sentence for involvement in the death of a New Jersey State Trooper. Assata became the first woman to be in the top 10 of America’s FBI most wanted under the name JoAnne Deborah Chesimard.
Assata died in exile, in Havana, Cuba.
Griots, Traditional story tellers in West Africa keep history alive orally. If you want to learn about Assata and become part of the griot tradition by keeping her story alive, Fulton County Library System has resources to help you on your knowledge quest. In addition to printed materials, the library has digital resources.
View Full List Cuba on 25 September 2025. Assata Shakur remained on the United States FBI most wanted list until her death.
Assata Olugbala Shakur, was an American political activist who was a member of the Black Liberation Army. In 1977, she was convicted in the murder of state trooper Werner Foerster during a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973.
While serving a life sentence for murder in New Jersey's Clinton Correctional Facility for Women. Shakur escaped in 1979, with assistance from the Black Liberation Army and the May 19 Communist Organization. In 1984, she was granted political asylum in Cuba, where she had remained despite U.S. government efforts to have her extradited. Since 2013, she had been on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list, as Joanne Deborah Chesimard, and was the first woman ever added to the list.
Digital Resources:
African American History Online:
History - Home - African-American History Online
American History Online:
History - Home - American History Online
African American Studies:
African American Studies | Fulton County Library System
Issues& Controversies:
Issues & Controversies in American History:
History - Home - Issues & Controversies in American History
Kanopy: Films and Documentaries:
Kanopy - Stream Classic Cinema, Indie Film and Top Documentaries
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