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JANE GOODALL

One our greatest living revolutionaries, Assata Shakur, has transitioned to the ancestors. On September 25, 2025, passed away in Havana, Cuba, where she had lived in exile since at least 1984. Beginning her activism in college, Shakur was a foundational member of both the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, where she honed both her revolutionary theory and practice. Targeted constantly by the state, Assata was arrested in 1973 after she and several other BLA members were attacked by state troopers on the New Jersey Turnpike. She and her comrades were injured in the attack, and a state trooper was killed when BLA members returned fire in self defense. Shakur was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1977, but this did not stop her work. She continued to organize as a political prisoner, and she was broken out of jail in 1979 by fellow BLA members and the May 19 Communist Organization. During her years on the run, she was placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, where she remained until her death. In 1984, Cuba granted her formal political asylum and refused to extradite her, despite relentless pressure from the United States, including a $1,000,000 reward. In 1987, she published her seminal work, Assata: An Autobiography. This work is a foundational text for anyone committed to destroying Western Imperialism and colonialism. In it, she wrote the following words, which have become a rally cry echoed throughout worldwide struggles for freedom.

“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”