Assata Shakur: They Carried It On And Uplifted Her Name
On Saturday, May 30, hundreds gathered in the sanctuary of The Riverside Church, a historic gathering place that describes itself as “an interdenominational, interracial, international, open, welcoming, and affirming church and congregation,” to honor Assata Shakur, who joined the ancestors last fall.
“Whoever you are: You are safe here. You are loved here. You are invited into full participation in our life together,” the church website says, and it makes it all the more fitting that Assata Shakur was uplifted within its walls for over four hours because in that space and every space, Assata Shakur is welcome.
The Riverside Church holds a long and special history of its own. It was here that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his anti-Vietnam War sermon, “Beyond Vietnam.” Four months after being freed from prison, Nelson Mandela visited The Riverside Church for an interfaith service, during which he addressed the American people.
And it is at The Riverside Church where Black power, Black liberation, and joyful Black expression converged to honor our queen mother and celebrate the life and legacy she left for us to cherish.
The celebration began with a processional in the form of a dance by the Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater featuring drums and raised voices calling to the ancestors. The dance was followed by an opening reflection, prayer, and ancestor veneration, featuring Rev. Adriene Thorne, a senior minister at The Riverside Church, and Dr. Akinyele Umoja, founding member of the New Afrikan People’s Organization and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.
Marc Lamont Hill and Angela Y. Davis, another titan in the Black liberation movement, gave a joint speech, “Carryin’ On/Assata Taught Us,” and Grammy-award-winning acapella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock performed a cultural offering of beautiful melodies sung in the key of Black womanhood, Black strength, and Black power.
Dr. Lisa Brock, who has spent decades working in social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and Dr. Tracye A. Matthews, the Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics & Culture at the University of Chicago, read Assata’s life story and obituary, which they co-wrote. A video from Indigo Films delivered Assata’s words in her own voice.
Her beautiful daughter, Kakuya Shakur, paid a loving tribute, including a poem dedicated to a mother she had to share with a movement.
Esteemed attorney Lennox Hinds, who for decades served as Assata Shakur’s attorney and was also the U.S. attorney of Nelson Mandela, delivered words of remembrance, along with Dr. Umoja and former political prisoner and Native American activist Leonard Peltier, whose remarks came via video.
Black Panther and Black Liberation Army member Jamal Joseph and the children of IMPACT Repertory Theatre offered a performance, followed by more tributes from Bibi Angola, who was part of Assata’s legal team; Lumumba Bandele, cofounder of the Black August Hip Hop Project; activist and educator Rosemari Mealy; activist Laura Whitehorn, and political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, whose remarks came via audio recording.
Maimouna Youssef, aka Mumu Fresh, used her voice to stir the emotions in the room, and media activist Malkia Cyril, whose mother was a Black Panther, delivered closing words.
Common and Sweet Honey in the Rock then brought the sanctuary to its feet with a rousing cultural offering that included a freestyle remix of Common’s song “The Light,” dedicated to Assata Shakur.
The overall message throughout the afternoon and early evening was that the work Assata Shakur began while she was on Earth is not yet complete.
The host committee of the event included Kakuya Shakur, Kedar Coleman, Lisa Brock, Angela Y. Davis, Tracye A. Matthews, Dara Cooper, Rosemari Mealy, Monifa Bandele, Princess MdaiYah (Sunni-Ali) Yisrael, K’Sisay Sadiki, and Sala Cyril.
“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Assata Shakur forever.
The full “Carry It On” program is available for viewing on YouTube.
SEE ALSO:
Carrying It On for Assata Shakur, The Embodiment Of Black Liberation
Revolutionary Fighter For Black Liberation Assata Shakur Dies At 78
