Assata Shakur, the famed black rights activist who fled to Cuba after escaping from jail, has died aged 78. Shakur, a member of the Black Panthers and Black Liberation Army, spent decades on the run after being accused of murdering a New Jersey State trooper following a gun fight in 1973, earning her a permanent spot on the state’s Most Wanted List. New Jersey Police spent decades trying to extradite her to the United States to face trial for the murder, without success. “At approximately 1:15 PM on September 25th, my mother, Assata Shakur, took her last earthly breath,” her daughter Kakuya Shakur wrote on Facebook. “Words cannot describe the depth of loss that I am feeling at this time. I want to thank you for your loving prayers that continue to anchor me in the strength that I need in this moment. My spirit is overflowing in unison with all of you who are grieving with me at this time.” In 2013, Shakur made history as the first woman to be added to the FBI’s Most Wanted List, and was revered among activists for her prominent pro-feminist and anti-racism activism prior to the conviction. Shakur was the godmother to rapper Tupac Shakur, and was often described as his “step-aunt.”
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