Archive · 27 Sep 2025
Assata Shakur, Black Liberation Activist, Dies at 78 in Cuba
Assata Shakur, a Black liberation activist, died in Havana, Cuba, at the age of 78.
She was a former member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army.
Shakur was convicted of murdering a police officer but escaped from prison in 1979.
She then lived in Cuba, where she was granted asylum.
Shakur was the first woman on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list.
Her writings became a rallying cry during the Black Lives Matter movement.
Her death has drawn mixed reactions due to her past and legacy.
Assata Shakur, a Black liberation activist, died at 78 in Cuba.
She was a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army.
Shakur escaped from a U.S. prison in 1979 after being convicted of murder.
She was granted asylum in Cuba and lived there for decades.
Her death has been met with praise and condemnation due to her past.
- Who
- Assata Shakur
- What
- Died
- When
- Thursday
- Where
- Havana, Cuba
- Why
- Health conditions and advanced age
Supporters
Critics
Legacy
Supporters
See her as a civil rights icon and revolutionary.
Critics
Consider her a convicted murderer and fugitive.
Actions
Supporters
Justified her actions as part of the struggle for Black liberation.
Critics
View her actions as criminal and inhumane.
- Full Name
- JoAnne Deborah Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur
- Cause of Death
- Health conditions and advanced age
- Age at Death
- 78
- Location of Death
- Havana, Cuba
- Known For
- Black Liberation Army activist
- FBI Status
- Most Wanted Terrorist
- Imprisonment
- Convicted of murder in 1977
- Escape
- Escaped from prison in 1979
Sources
Who was Assata Shakur? FBI's most wanted with $2 million reward on head dies in Cuba
Assata Shakur's death: How did former Black Liberation Army member die? Here's what we know
Why Assata Shakur was on FBI's ‘most wanted' list? Prison break, act of terrorism – here's what we know
Joanne Chesimard Cause Of Death: FBI's Most-Wanted Terrorist Assata Shakur Dies From Health Complications
Assata Shakur, fugitive and prominent Black activist, dies in Cuba at 78
Assata Shakur’s Family: All On Her Connection To Tupac Shakur, Daughter Kakuya Shakur, And Ex-Husband Louis Chesimard
Who Was Assata Shakur? Terrorist on FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ List And Controversial Black Liberation Activist Dies
Who was Assata Shakur, the US Black liberation activist on FBI's most wanted terrorist list
