Assata Shakur (government name JoAnne Chesimirad) was a Black Panther, which was a militant black political organization originally known as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The BPP believed in black self-defense and restructuring American society to make it more politically, economically, and socially equal. They were armed with weapons and wore the party's distinctive black leather jackets and black berets. The BPP grew throughout the late 1960s, and eventually had chapters all around the country.

She later became a Black Liberation Army (BLA) leade

After college, JoAnne wanted to change her name because it did not reflect her personality. She decided to look for a name that meant something; she took the name Assata ("she who struggles"), Olugbala ("Love for the people"), Shakur ("the thankful"), which she took out of respect for Zayd's family.

Since she was part of these two militant groups, she was a target of the FBI's Counter Intelligence Program operation. Assata was arrested in a shoot out. She was shot twice in the arm. A State Trooper was killed. She was charged with murder along with Sundiata. Zayd Shakur, traveling in the car with Assata, was also killed.

At first, she loved the BPP. She worked in the health clinic, which gave free medical care to blacks in the community. She later worked in the breakfast program, where she cooked and fed the hungry kids in the community. She also sold newspapers in the streets, which was made by the BPP. She began to lose interest in the BPP party because they did not accomplish anything. They were too worried about protecting themselves against the FBI and the CIA.

In college, JoAnne became interested in the Civil Rights Movement. She began to go to meetings and lectures about the poor conditions in the black communities. One meeting she attended was for the Republic of New Africa (RNA). They wanted to establish a separate black nation within the U.S. At that meeting, she was asked to become a citizen in which she agreed. She was given the nameYbumi Oladele. She was also part of the Golden Drums Society, which "concentrated its efforts on Black culture and history.

r in the early '70s. The Black Liberation Army emerged from poor conditions in Black communities (conditions of poverty, indecent housing, unemployment, poor medical care, and poor education). The concept of the BLA occurred because of the political, social, and economic oppression of Black people in this country.

Assata was a target of the FBI Cointelpro because of her connection with the Black Panther Party. The government wanted to "criminalize black nationalist organizations and their leaders." At first, the police was looking for her for questioning, but because of her hiding, she was framed for bank robbery. She was wanted for arrest. Assata's fear of being caught caused her to go hiding undergro

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1544
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)