Fugitive Black Liberation Activist Assata Shakur Dies in Cuba at 78

Assata Shakur, a former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, died in Havana, Cuba, on September 25, 2025, at the age of 78 due to health complications related to old age. Shakur was convicted in 1977 of murdering New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster during a 1973 highway shootout, a charge she consistently denied, maintaining she was shot with her hands raised. After escaping prison in 1979, she fled to Cuba, where she was granted asylum and lived openly despite U.S. efforts to extradite her, including the FBI placing her as the first woman on its Most Wanted Terrorists list with a $2 million reward. Shakur's autobiography and activism made her a symbol of resistance and influenced movements like Black Lives Matter, though her Marxist and communist ties drew criticism. Her daughter, Kakuya Shakur, expressed deep loss upon her passing, while U.S. officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Cuba for harboring fugitives like Shakur. Shakur's legacy remains emblematic of the fraught U.S.-Cuba relations and the ongoing struggle for racial justice in America.