Summary of Assata Shakur

Assata Shakur Response Paper

Assata Shakur had the most direct commentary out of all of the activists that we have discussed. One can sense her urgency for the unity of black people and how her past experiences shaped her into the person she is today. In Assata: An Autobiography, some of her most intriguing comments were the comments about self-hatred in the black community. She is adamant about addressing and fixing the self hate among black people. Though attempts by organizations such as the BPP, activists like Malcolm X, and an array of others preach for equality, the self-hate and jokes continue even today.

Shakur discusses in detail the hatred that blacks have within by insulting other blacks for having features or characteristics that white people have decided are unattractive or unacceptable. After reading that part, I began to wonder about how different America actually is today.I related a lot to the part in which she mentions the African Americans going to the beach and complaining about being “too black already.” Growing up in Cleveland, many of the black teens, myself included, complained about being in the sun for too long because we didn’t want to become “too black.” My family actually made jokes about me becoming too dark after I spent a summer at camp. There were jokes among black people about our lips and being “nappy.” The fact that Shakur wrote this book over twenty years ago and these issues still persist in the African American community is disheartening.

I definitely don’t agree with some of Shakur’s views, for instance her involvement with the Republic of New Afrika, but I do agree with her belief that black people need to love themselves. Malcolm X also pushes for this belief in self-worth and unity among black people as well. Compared to the older activists we have discussed, there seems to be a push for self-worth, not just how to achieve equal rights of make whites accept black people. This becomes important in my opinion...