How I Found Assata Shakur When I Was An Intern

Upon her arrival in Cuba, Assata Shakur encountered a police officer, not due to her status as a fugitive and convicted cop killer in the United States, but primarily because she was Black. This encounter marked a pivotal moment for Shakur, a member of the Black Liberation Army, perhaps more famously recognized as Tupac's godmother. Recently, the Cuban Foreign Ministry shared that she passed away at age 78, with a $2 million bounty still on her head.In a rare interview, Shakur recounted an incident where a Cuban officer requested her papers due to her skin tone—reflective of long-standing complaints from Afro-Cubans. She expressed that while racism exists in Cuba and the U.S., the latter's leadership perpetuates it, contrastively, Cuba aims to dismantle it.Her life in Cuba was marked by a mix of revolutionary defiance and adaptation, revealing complexities within her exiled existence. Shakur ultimately symbolized resilience against systemic oppression, leaving an indelible legacy.