Society & Culture / Social Issues / Race & Ethnicity
She Was Shot with Hands Up: The Assata Shakur Story the FBI Tried to Bury
Assata Shakur’s autobiography is one of the most controversial and suppressed political texts in American history. Labeled a cop killer by the FBI, she is also revered as a freedom fighter by millions. This video unpacks the raw, unfiltered narrative from her book—starting with the 1973 New Jersey Turnpike shooting where medical evidence shows she was shot in the back with her hands in the air, her right arm instantly paralyzed. Yet the official story claimed she fired a weapon. We explore the paradox of the wanted poster with no birth record, the 50:1 ratio of police killings of Black people, and the FBI's COINTELPRO tactics that forged letters to destroy the Black Panther Party from within. Discover how she turned a courtroom into a political stage, gave birth while chained in solitary confinement, and escaped to Cuba. This is not about taking sides—it’s about understanding the mechanics of power, systemic erasure, and why history keeps repeating. Watch to see how one woman’s story challenges the very foundation of the American narrative.
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