Important Examples in Assata’s Book
Assata Shakur, or by her real name JoAnne Byron was an African American member of many black parties. Some being: The Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Party which promote equal rights for blacks and both had many movements in the 1970s, which is around the time Assata was convicted of murder and robbery. This makes her an easy target for reasons behind robbing a white bank. Assata was imprisoned and ending up escaping to Cuba. The FBI have her on the most wanted list right now with a 2 million dollar reward. She has asylum with Cuban government as of right now. Assata’s autobiography is important because it shows how unequal the laws regarding blacks were back then. It shows us how far we have come and how much we have to go to make the criminal justice system equal for blacks and whites. There are 4 important situations in her book that stand out to me. The fact that there was only white members serving on the jury, when she arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound the white officer was telling her they weren’t going to treat her, Assata was photographed with a wig, and the clothes that was in the photograph of the woman who robbed the bank, the fact that Assata didn’t use her slave name, and how she escaped to Cuba for asylum. …show more content…
She identifies more with Assata than JoAnne Chesimard in my eyes. She gained Assata Shakur through her black empowerment organizations so I believe that by identifying herself with the new name it shows empowerment through her. She is showing how strong the name/ movement is with them. She uses a new name because she became new through them. She learned to embrace the struggles. This important part shows that she shed her old “convictions” from her old name to gain new experiences with her new name.
Assata Shakur, or by her real name JoAnne Byron was an African American member of many black parties. Some being: The Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Party which promote equal rights for blacks and both had many movements in the 1970s, which is around the time Assata was convicted of murder and robbery. This makes her an easy target for reasons behind robbing a white bank. Assata was imprisoned and ending up escaping to Cuba. The FBI have her on the most wanted list right now with a 2 million dollar reward. She has asylum with Cuban government as of right now. Assata’s autobiography is important because it shows how unequal the laws regarding blacks were back then. It shows us how far we have come and how much we have to go to make the criminal justice system equal for blacks and whites. There are 4 important situations in her book that stand out to me. The fact that there was only white members serving on the jury, when she arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound the white officer was telling her they weren’t going to treat her, Assata was photographed with a wig, and the clothes that was in the photograph of the woman who robbed the bank, the fact that Assata didn’t use her slave name, and how she escaped to Cuba for asylum. …show more content…
She identifies more with Assata than JoAnne Chesimard in my eyes. She gained Assata Shakur through her black empowerment organizations so I believe that by identifying herself with the new name it shows empowerment through her. She is showing how strong the name/ movement is with them. She uses a new name because she became new through them. She learned to embrace the struggles. This important part shows that she shed her old “convictions” from her old name to gain new experiences with her new name.