Black liberation activist and American fugitive Assata Shakur, who escaped to Cuba more than 45 years ago after she was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper, died in Havana, the government announced. She was 78 years old. | NBC News

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Assata Shakur - revolutionary, author, and activist. Branded by the system but embraced by the people, she stood as an unyielding symbol of Black liberation. Her exile never dimmed her light. Her life was a testament to resistance in the face of oppression. Though the system tried to silence her, her words, spirit, and defiance lit the path for generations of Black women and men to demand justice and liberation. Rest in power, Assata. Your fire lives on.

Assata Shakur: The Truth Behind The Legend On September 25, 2025, Assata Shakur died in Havana, Cuba at age 78, closing one of the most controversial chapters in American criminal justice history. For over 45 years, she lived in exile after escaping prison following her conviction for the 1973 murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster—a conviction she and millions of supporters called a political prosecution built on flawed evidence.Born JoAnne Chesimard on July 16, 1947, in Queens, New