Assata's Daughters

Based on Wikipedia: Assata's Daughters

In July 2014, a Black man named Eric Garner was killed on a Staten Island sidewalk by a police officer who placed a chokehold on him while he pleaded that he could not breathe. Eight months later, in a city thousands of miles away, a group of young Black women gathered in Chicago to ensure that the anger felt in New York would not dissipate into the ether of forgotten hashtags. They did not want to be the polite opposition, nor did they wish to be led by the same demographic that had long dominated the civil rights landscape. They named themselves Assata's Daughters. This was not a choice made lightly. The name invoked Assata Shakur, a former member of the Black Liberation Army who had been convicted in 1977 of murdering a New Jersey state trooper, a conviction that many in the Black radical tradition view as a political fabrication. By adopting this mantle, the group signaled a break from the past and a commitment to a future defined by a specific, uncompromising lens: one that is Black, queer, feminist, and revolutionary.

Founded in March 2015 by Page May, Caira Conner, and Ariel Perkins, the organization emerged from a specific fracture in the Chicago activism scene. Page May, who grew up in a nearly all-white town in Vermont and later attended college in Massachusetts, arrived in Chicago for a fellowship and found herself immersed in the work of the Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100). While BYP100 had done the heavy lifting of legitimizing all-Black, radical spaces, May felt a distinct need for an organization that centered young women and girls with a sharper, more radical edge. The catalyst was the death of Eric Garner. May noted that the initial protests against Garner's killing were organized primarily by older white activists. She wanted a space where Black youth could lead their own narrative, unburdened by the expectations of white liberalism. Her first protest on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January 2015 began with about twenty people. It grew to seven hundred, a crowd teeming with children, signaling that this movement was about the future as much as the present.

The political DNA of Assata's Daughters is rooted in the legacy of the Black Panther Party, but it is not a mere replication. The group adopted the Panthers' famous Ten-Point Program as its foundational platform, expanding upon it to address the realities of the 21st century. The original program, drafted by Huey Newton, demanded freedom, power over their own destiny, full employment, an end to capitalist robbery of the Black community, decent housing, an education that revealed the true nature of American society, an end to military service for Black men, an immediate end to police brutality, freedom for all imprisoned Black people, and trials by a jury of peers. It concluded with a demand for land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, and peace. Assata's Daughters added an eleventh point, a deliberate expansion that underscored their unique identity and the specific needs of their generation. This adaptation was not just rhetorical; it was a strategic move to align with a Black Power tradition while acknowledging that the struggle for liberation had evolved. They are part of the broader Movement for Black Lives, a cluster of organizations that have redefined the landscape of American protest, but their specific focus on the intersection of Black, queer, and feminist identities sets them apart.

The organization's early months were defined by a relentless schedule of disruption. In October 2015, they helped plan and execute a protest at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference in Chicago. The choice of venue was deliberate. By bringing their message to the very people who wield the power of the state, they aimed to disrupt the "business as usual" of law enforcement leadership. The protest was not a polite march; it was an act of direct action designed to bring attention to state-sanctioned violence. Following this, in November 2015, the group co-wrote a letter with We Charge Genocide, #Not1More, and BYP100, speaking out against the militarization of police forces. This was a time when the rhetoric of "law and order" was being used to justify the heavy-handed tactics that had killed so many. The group refused to accept the status quo.

The year 2016 brought further confrontations. In February, Assata's Daughters joined a coalition of anti-deportation groups to block the street in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in downtown Chicago. This action highlighted the interconnected nature of their struggle, recognizing that the violence of the police state extended beyond the Black community to include immigrants and other marginalized groups. Just days later, on February 24, they participated in the #ByeAnita protests. This campaign targeted Anita Alvarez, the State's Attorney for Cook County, Illinois. Alvarez was the focus of intense scrutiny because of her office's failure to prosecute police officers for misconduct. The group cited the 2012 death of Rekia Boyd, a 22-year-old Black woman killed by police officer Dante Servin. Servin had claimed he saw a gun in a group of people near his home, but the object turned out to be a cell phone. Alvarez charged Servin with involuntary manslaughter, a charge from which he was acquitted in 2015. The protesters carried signs reading "Justice for Rekia, No votes for Anita," a clear message that the legal system was failing to deliver justice for Black lives.

The struggle against Alvarez intensified when it was revealed that her office had received video footage showing Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shoot Laquan McDonald 16 times. The footage showed McDonald on the ground, no longer moving, when Van Dyke fired three more shots. Alvarez had received this video two weeks after the shooting but waited a year to release it, a delay that sparked outrage and fueled the protests. The group's activism was not limited to Chicago; in March, they protested a Donald Trump rally in the city, citing his racist rhetoric as a primary motivator. The rally was eventually cancelled after protests turned violent, a testament to the intensity of the opposition. In April, they joined BYP100, Black Lives Matter: Chicago, and Fearless Leading by the Youth to protest outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office. Their demands were specific: they called for the firing of officer Dante Servin without benefits and demanded funding for Chicago State University. By July, their solidarity had expanded to include Indigenous protesters against the Dakota Access Pipeline, demonstrating a broad coalition-building approach that recognized the interconnectedness of all struggles against state violence.

The financial support for Assata's Daughters grew alongside their visibility. In 2017, the organization received a $25,000 donation from NFL player Colin Kaepernick, a figure who had become a symbol of the movement after kneeling during the national anthem. Kaepernick donated again in 2018, giving another $20,000. His contributions were supplemented by $10,000 from comedian Hannibal Buress and another $10,000 from actress Yara Shahidi. These donations provided the resources necessary to sustain the organization's operations, allowing them to continue their work of political education, organizing, and revolutionary services. The money was not just for survival; it was an investment in a vision of the future that these young women were actively building.

However, the path of radical activism is rarely smooth, and the group faced significant setbacks. In 2019, their headquarters, located at 235 E. 58th St, was seized and demolished by the City of Chicago. The city deemed the building structurally unsound, a determination that came after two fires had damaged the storefront strip on which the headquarters was located. The demolition was a physical blow to the organization, removing a central hub for their community work. It raised questions about the targeting of Black activist spaces and the fragility of the infrastructure they built. Yet, the loss of the building did not diminish the movement. The spirit of Assata's Daughters was not tied to a specific brick-and-mortar location but to the people who made it up.

As of 2016, the group had 68 active members. These were not just numbers; they were young women and girls who dedicated their time and energy to a cause that often put them in the crosshairs of public criticism. The group is often criticized for its connection to Assata Shakur. Shakur was convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other crimes in 1977 in the murder of a New Jersey state trooper. The mainstream narrative often frames this as a criminal act, while the group and their supporters view it through the lens of political repression and the struggle for liberation. This divergence in perspective highlights the deep ideological rifts that exist in American society. For Assata's Daughters, the connection to Shakur is a badge of honor, a symbol of resistance against a system they view as inherently oppressive.

The group's tactics are designed to disrupt the normalcy of oppression. They engage in protests that are similar to those of the Black Youth Project 100, but with a distinct focus on the voices of young women. Their work is not just about reacting to events; it is about proactive political education and the building of a revolutionary consciousness. They understand that the struggle for Black liberation is inextricably linked to the struggles for queer rights, feminist liberation, and economic justice. This intersectional approach is their strength. It allows them to build broad coalitions and to address the multifaceted nature of oppression.

The story of Assata's Daughters is a story of resilience. It is a story of young women who refused to be silenced by a system that sought to erase them. They took the lessons of the past, from the Black Panther Party to the Black Liberation Army, and applied them to the present. They faced criticism, demolition, and the constant threat of state violence, yet they persisted. Their work continues to shape the landscape of activism in Chicago and beyond. They are a testament to the power of young people to organize, to resist, and to imagine a world where Black lives truly matter. In a time when the future often feels uncertain, Assata's Daughters offer a vision of hope grounded in the reality of struggle. They are the daughters of a revolutionary past, and they are building a radical future.

The human cost of the system they fight against is not abstract. It is the life of Eric Garner, choked on a Staten Island street. It is the death of Rekia Boyd, a 22-year-old woman killed by a stray bullet. It is the 16 shots fired into Laquan McDonald, a young man who was running away. These are not just statistics; they are lives cut short by the violence of the state. Assata's Daughters center these lives in their work. They do not look away from the brutality. They name the names, tell the stories, and demand justice. In doing so, they honor the memory of those who have been lost and fight for a world where such losses are no longer necessary.

The legacy of the Black Panther Party's Ten-Point Program is alive in the demands of Assata's Daughters. They want freedom. They want power. They want an end to the robbery of their people. They want decent housing and education that exposes the truth. They want an end to police brutality and the freedom of all Black people held in prison. But they go further. They want a world that is not just free from oppression, but full of joy, love, and community. This is the vision that drives them. It is a vision that is both radical and deeply human. It is a vision that refuses to accept the world as it is and demands that it be changed.

As the movement evolves, the role of Assata's Daughters remains crucial. They are a beacon for young Black women and girls who seek a space where they can lead, where their voices are heard, and where their experiences are validated. They are a reminder that the struggle for liberation is ongoing and that it requires the energy and creativity of a new generation. In the face of adversity, they stand tall. They are Assata's Daughters, and they are just getting started.