Assata Shakur escaped from a maximum-security prison in New Jersey in 1979 and received political asylum in Cuba, where she has lived for over 40 years. The FBI placed her on their Most Wanted Terrorists list in 2013.
The Story of Assata Shakur (Joanne Chesimard)
Born in 1947 in New York City, Joanne Chesimard became Assata Shakur and joined the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The BLA was a clandestine organization formed in response to the FBI's COINTELPRO program, which was systematically destroying Black political organizations through infiltration, imprisonment, and assassination.
In 1973, Assata was stopped on the New Jersey Turnpike with two other BLA members. In the confrontation that followed, one state trooper and one of her companions were killed. Assata, shot while her hands were raised, was convicted of murder in a trial widely regarded as unfair — she was wounded and in the back seat when the shooting began. She was sentenced to life plus 33 years.
In 1979, in one of the most dramatic prison escapes in American history, she escaped from Clinton Correctional Facility in New Jersey and eventually made her way to Cuba, where she was granted political asylum. She has lived there for over 40 years.
The FBI placed her on their Most Wanted Terrorists list in 2013 — making her the first woman so designated. A $2 million bounty exists for her capture. She continues to write, speak, and inspire from Cuba. Her autobiography remains a foundational text of Black liberation literature, and the chant 'Assata taught me' echoes at protests worldwide.
Color Assata's Portrait
The Alphabet Book of Generals — Who Resisted White Supremacy and Won features a full-page coloring portrait of Assata with a color guide and fun fact. Perfect for children ages 4–12 and Black history education.
Get the Book on Amazon →