Assata Shakur, a Black Panther leader, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for a 1973 shootout that killed a Panther leader and a NJ State Trooper. In 2006, a filmmaker and a student journalist met at a Harlem festival and discovered their shared passion for Assata's story. Assata escaped from prison in 1979 and eventually settled in Cuba, where she lives in exile, inspiring a global following with her fight for freedom and social justice.
Assata aka Joanne Chesimard
Assata Shakur, a renowned Black Panther activist, was wrongly convicted and sentenced to life in prison after a highly publicized 1973 shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike, which led to the tragic deaths of a prominent Black Panther leader and a New Jersey State trooper.
