Assata: An Autobiography

Shakur’s mother brought a four-year old Kakuya to visit Shakur while she was at the Clinton Correctional Facility for women in New Jersey. Although Shakur’s mother had brought Kakuya to visit Shakur every week, her daughter’s demeanor became increasingly distant. During this meeting, Kakuya refused Shakur’s touch and hit her. She told Shakur, “You can get out of here, if you want to” and “You just don’t want to” (258). Painfully, Shakur told Kakuya that she could not leave and that she should try to open the bars for her. Kakuya struggled against the bars until she collapsed. When the visit was over, she seemed to Shakur “like a little adult” (258). The experience was so painful that Shakur decided she had to leave.

Shakur’s grandmother visited Shakur while she was incarcerated. During her visit, she told Shakur about her dream that she would be released soon. She said, “You’re getting out of here” (260) and “You’re coming home” (261). Her grandmother’s words filled her with determination. Several days before Shakur escaped from prison, she called her grandparents to ask about her family’s history. She was feeling sentimental. During the call, her grandmother advised her, “We don’t want you to get used to that place, do you hear?” (262). Shakur promised that she would not.

In the postscript, Shakur reveals that she escaped to Cuba, though she does not reveal in her book the means or people involved. In later accounts, it becomes clear that other Black revolutionaries freed her from prison and ensured her safe passage to Cuba, where she remains a political refugee.

In Cuba, Shakur was exposed to a different set of race relations, where Black identity had a different meaning. She was surprised to learn that while some white Cubans would be considered Latino in the US, they were considered white in Cuba. Many Cubans who looked Black to her did not consider themselves Black and referred to themselves as “mulattos, colorados, jabaos” (271). Shakur was especially offended to be considered a “mulatto” by Cuban standards. Despite her differing views on race, Shakur appreciated Cuba’s efforts to at least try to eliminate racism. She also saw the evolution of social progress in Cuba following the Cuban Revolution, which featured free medical, dental, and hospital care as well as new facilities for the public.

One day, Shakur finally contacted her aunt in the US. At first, Evelyn was suspicious of the call as she and the rest of the family had been harassed by the US government during Shakur’s absence. There were also people who claimed to be Shakur trying to reach out. To prove her identity, Shakur sang a childhood rhyme that only she and Evelyn would know. When Evelyn confirmed that it was her niece, she was elated and began to put together plans for the family to visit Shakur in Cuba. The chapter ends with Shakur waiting for her family’s flight to land in Cuba.