Trinity Washington University hosts event honoring convicted cop killer Assata Shakur
Marxist-Leninist Assata Shakur, was a Black Panther member responsible for the murder of a New Jersey State Trooper in 1973.
Nancy Pelosi’s alma mater hosted ‘Assata Shakur Remembrance’ event to honor her 'legacy.'
On Oct. 7, Trinity Washington University, a Catholic institution in Washington, DC hosted an all-day ‘Assata Shakur Remembrance’ event celebrating the life of African American activist Joanne Deborah Chesimard, alias Assata Shakur.
Shakur was a follower of Marxist-Leninist ideology and a member of the radical militant Black Panther party and its offshoot, the Black Liberation Army (BLA) movement, both of which espoused anti-police and revolutionary tenets.
In 1973, Shakur fatally shot a New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster during a shootout and was convicted of first degree murder. Approximately two years into her sentence, Shakur broke out of federal prison and was permitted entrance into Cuba by Fidel Castro’s government in spite of American extradition efforts.
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Shakur was also implicated in a series of bank robberies, and was accused of assaulting two police officers via hand grenade. Later, in 2013, Shakur was placed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s ‘Most Wanted Terrorists,’ her bail reaching $2 million.
Shakur reportedly died on Sept. 25, seemingly causing Trinity Washington University’s Assata Shakur Remembrance event, which honored her “life, work, and enduring legacy.”
”Assata’s story is rare because she not only survived white supremacy,” Trinity Washington Professor Kimberly Monroe told Essense. “She escaped it.”
Monroe continued, calling Shakur a “model for young organizers and Black women today,” alleging that this was “why she remained a threat in the eyes of the U.S. government—because a free Black woman, telling her truth, and fighting for others to be free, is the most powerful story of all.”
The commemoration, running from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Oct. 7 and featuring the reading of excerpts from Shakur’s autobiography by “students, staff, and faculty,” also included snacks and refreshments.
Trinity Washington University, U.S. Representative and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s alma mater, is not the only higher education institution to have highlighted Assata Shakur. In 2020, the Stanford dean of students, Mona Hicks, released a memo to students in which she “positively quote[d]” the activist.
Campus Reform has reached out to Trinity Washington University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
