Black History at Home and Abroad: 13 Leaders Whose Impact Went Global

ASSATA SHAKUR

This author, activist, and former member of the Black Panther Party (BPP) and Black Liberation Army (BLA) was a key figure during the Black Power Movement of the late ’60s and ’70s, rallying for justice for black Americans. She played a vital role in strengthening the black, female voice for rights, and though oftentimes remembered as militant, one can’t deny the impact she had on society and black history. One can’t also ignore that in 1973, Shakur was accused and convicted of several crimes, including the murder of a New Jersey state trooper, and was the subject of a multistate manhunt. She was sentenced and jailed, only to escape and flee to Cuba, where she has lived under political asylum since 1984. She has called the country, “One of the largest, most resistant and most courageous palenques (or maroon camps) that has ever existed on the face of this planet.”

She has reportedly worked as an English-language editor for Radio Havana Cuba, and penned Assata: An Autobiography, in the Caribbean country.