Hear Black Liberation Activist Assata Shakur Read Her 1998 Letter to Pope

[Uncle Joe]

The Black liberation activist Assata Shakur died on September 25, 2025, at the age of 78. She passed away in Cuba, where she received political asylum in 1984 after escaping the U.S. prison system, and where she continued to reside for decades despite U.S. attempts to capture and extradite her. In 1998, Shakur wrote an open letter to Pope John Paul II during his historic visit to Cuba, after New Jersey state troopers requested the pope call for her extradition. "The New Jersey State Police and other law enforcement officials say they want to see me brought to 'justice.' But I would like to know what they mean by 'justice.' Is torture justice?" Shakur wrote. "When my people receive justice, I am sure that I will receive it, too." We play Shakur's recording of her letter, in memory of her life and her work.