Last week, the government of Cuba announced that Assata Shakur had died at the age of 78. A former member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA), Shakur was convicted in 1977 of murdering a New Jersey state trooper. She had been a fugitive since 1979.
Born JoAnne Byron in New York, Shakur was a BLA member for several years in the early 1970s. The BLA was a Marxist, black nationalist group that operated throughout the 1970s and was connected to bank robberies, bombings, and police officer killings.
In May 1973, Shakur and two other BLA members were involved in a shootout with police on the New Jersey Turnpike that killed State Trooper Werner Foerster. Shakur and another BLA member were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
However, a group of BLA members stormed the prison that held Shakur and helped her escape in 1979. Shakur lived as a fugitive in Cuba for the last forty years of her life and claimed she was not guilty. In 2013, the FBI added Shakur to its most wanted list.
Since her death, organizations such as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the Chicago Teachers Union have posted tributes to Shakur. Both groups have been denounced for their decision to honor the deceased fugitive.
In Minnesota, DFL State Sen. Erin Maye Quade cryptically shared a social media post about Shakur that featured a message from Shakur’s daughter, Kakuya.
In her message, Kakuya said “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.”
Alpha News reached out to Maye Quade to inquire why she reposted that message. Further, the senator was asked if she admires Shakur. Neither Maye Quade’s office nor a Senate DFL spokesperson responded to media inquiries.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
