Assata Shakur is a significant figure dedicated to the Black liberation movement, serving as an enduring symbol of resistance against systemic racism and state oppression. She has been a source of inspiration for generations of activists and artists, including her godson, the late rapper Tupac Shakur. 

Born JoAnne Deborah Byron aka JoAnne Chesimard, she became involved in political activism in college, participating in Civil Rights and Anti-War movements before joining the Black Panther Party and, later, the more militant Black Liberation Army (BLA). In 1971, she adopted the name Assata Olugbala Shakur, meaning "she who struggles, love for the people, the thankful one," to reflect her African heritage and political consciousness. 

Shakur's dedication was rooted in a commitment to social justice and a belief that systemic change required a socialist revolution to dismantle capitalism, racism, and imperialism. She was a target of the FBI's controversial COINTELPRO, a counterintelligence program designed to disrupt Black nationalist organizations. Shakur maintained that law enforcement and the justice system targeted her due to her political beliefs, leading to multiple arrests and trials, most of which ended in acquittals or dismissals due to lack of evidence. 

In 1977, an all-white jury convicted her of the first-degree murder of a state trooper during a 1973 New Jersey Turnpike shootout, despite forensic evidence suggesting she was shot with her hands raised in surrender. She was sentenced to life in prison but escaped in 1979 with the help of fellow BLA members. 

She fled to Cuba in 1984, where she was granted political asylum and resided until her death in 2025. In exile, she authored an influential memoir, Assata: An Autobiography, and continued her advocacy for the liberation of oppressed people. The FBI placed her on its Most Wanted Terrorists list in 2013, the first woman ever to be listed, with a $2 million bounty for her capture. To her supporters, she was a freedom fighter and victim of political persecution, while her opponents labeled her a convicted cop-killer and terrorist. Her life and work continue to inspire activists dedicated to the ongoing struggle for racial and social justice. She is one of our HEROES and needs to be celebrated as such. Rest Well Queen.