- Blues People by Leroi Jones - Rhythm and Business edited by Norman Kelley
Section 6: Notes on Revolutionary Theory and Practice A Brief History of the Assata Behind the Chant Edward Onaci Assata Shakur is a New Afrikan freedom fighter who, as a participant in the struggle for Black liberation, endured overwhelming punishment for daring to put her love for oppressed people into action. Many people have heard her name, have seen her face on t-shirts, and have even recited the now-popular “Assata Chant.” It is important that those of us who recite these powerful words also understand who she is and the context in which she wrote them.
Photo Credit - blackhistorymonth.org.uk
In 1973, Assata was a member of the same Black Liberation Army unit as Sundiata Acoli. They both survived a violent interaction with New Jersey state police that left her critically injured—her hands were up when police shot her—and eventually culminated in her exile in Cuba. After her arrest, and as she prepared to face and beat charge after spurious charge, she released a statement that challenged the ongoing narrative of Black criminality and U.S. integrity and dared her people to struggle for and win their liberation and the destruction of oppression worldwide. At the end of the speech, she spoke the words that we now hear, even from Democratic primary contender Cory Booker: It is our duty to fight for our freedom.