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 stated.
Shakur was on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list for years after her escape in 1979 from a New Jersey women's prison, where she was serving a life sentence following a murder conviction related to a shootout that killed a New Jersey state trooper. She 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 became involved in political activism while in college, first with the Black Panther Party, which promoted social services for the black community. She then joined the more radical Black Liberation Army.
In 1973, during a car stop by New Jersey officers, a shootout ensued, resulting in the deaths of state trooper Werner Foerster and fellow activist Zayd Malik Shakur. Shakur, injured in the incident, was arrested and later adamantly denied any involvement in Foerster's death, claiming an unfair trial.
Her exile has remained a contentious issue between Cuba and the United States. The first woman on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list, rewards of $1 million were offered for her capture. Shakur has been honored in music, inspiring songs like Public Enemy's Rebel Without a Pause and Common's A Song for Assata. She is survived by her daughter, Kakuya Shakur, who expressed her profound loss on social media.