Assata Shakur, revolutionary and freedom fighter, has passed away at age 78 in Cuba.

Assata dedicated her life to Black liberation. She organized with the Black Panther Party and later the Black Liberation Army, challenging police violence and white supremacy. In 1973, she was shot and captured during a confrontation on the New Jersey Turnpike. What followed was years of political targeting: the FBI’s COINTELPRO program, criminalization in the courts, and unjust imprisonment.

In 1979, Assata escaped from prison, and in 1984, she was granted asylum in Cuba. She lived the rest of her life there in exile, continuing to inspire freedom struggles across the world. Her words, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win…” have carried through generations.

Assata was and will always be a symbol of resistance against state repression. May she rest in power, and may her spirit live on in every fight for liberation.