"Committed to Liberation: Dara Cooper"

Diamond Sharp

Assata Shakur (born Joanne Deborah Byron Chesimard) is one on the most infamous members of the Black Panther Party. On the night of November 2, 1979, Assata, with the help of her brother and two other men, peacefully escaped from a maximum-security prison in New Jersey.

She had been sentenced to life plus 33 years for the murder of her friend Zayd Shakur, as well as a New Jersey state policeman. However, she was clearly not guilty.

Accounts of what exactly happened the night of the murders on May 2, 1973 differ, but what is clear is that Assata herself was severely wounded in her right arm. It would have been impossible for her to shoot a gun.

Despite the evidence that pointed to her innocence, an all white jury convicted her of the charges. She was subjected to unspeakable torture at the hands of law enforcement and jailed in a men's facility. But she persevered, eventually taking her liberation into her own hands.

For the last 22 years, Assata Shakur has lived peacefully in Cuba. Fidel Castro granted her political asylum, which means that as a person persecuted in her native country for her political beliefs, Assata is protected by the government of Cuba.

The Hands Off Assata (HOA) campaign began when the FBI targeted Assata for recapture after her escape; since then they have fought to deter government interest in Assata. Because of her obvious innocence, HOA believes that Assata is only being targeted because of her race and political views.

Since its inception, the campaign received support from black Hollywood actors such as Ruby Dee and Harry Belafonte. In addition, Angela Davis and other grassroots activist have come together to demand the end to the government's harassment of Assata.

The campaign gained tremendous support, however, when the bounties placed on Assata by the New Jersey state government increased. On May 2, 2005, the thirty-second anniversary of the Turnpike shootings, the F.B.I. classified her as a domestic terrorist and increased the reward for assistance in her capture to $1 million, the largest reward placed on an individual in the history of New Jersey.

New Jersey State Police superintendent Rick Fuentes stated that Assata "is now 120 pounds of money." The government endangers Assata's life, making her a prize to bounty hunters.

On the night that Assata Shakur escaped from her maximum-security jail cell, Dara Cooper was three months shy of her second birthday.

Born in Chicago, 29-year-old Dara Cooper is currently the National Organizer for the Hands Off Assata Movement. I met Dara this July at the Chicago Assata Shakur birthday celebration.

For the entire year, HOA chapters in various cities have organized "birthday" celebrations to raise awareness about Assata Shakur. The various celebrations all led up to Assata's actual 60th birthday on July 16th.

After a chance encounter waiting for the bus, Dara and I met again. I recently sat down with her to discuss the HOA movement and her work with the organization.

A former African American Studies major at Ohio State, Dara was never taught in depth about the Black Power Movement. Yet she always knew about liberation movements and was raised in a family that valued activism.

It wasn't until New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman asked Attorney General Janet Reno to do whatever it takes to return Shakur from Cuba that Dara was introduced to the plight of Assata.

"The first thing that came to mind was that they used bounties to capture runaway slaves, wanted dead or alive. They were trying to catch this woman like she was a runaway slave," she reflected.

Afterwards, Dara read Assata: An Autobiography. "It spoke to me like nothing else. I was very moved by it because she started off as an activist at the age I was reading the book...it inspired me further because she was able to become an immense example to so many people."

Dara's work with HOA began last year. She traveled the country and organized birthday celebrations with the HOA chapters in each city. The problem was, many HOA chapters were not working collectively. Dara was responsible for channeling their efforts into a collective campaign.

Completing the national celebration tour successfully is what Dara describes as her biggest accomplishment. "In an era when people say young people aren't doing anything, I got to travel nationally and say that's a lie. There are so many people who are doing such amazing work."

Before her work with HOA, Dara worked with Incite! Women of Color Against Violence. Dara does not label herself as a feminist; in fact she prefers not to label her beliefs at all. However she has worked in feminist spaces such as Insight and finds it very important to look at the issues that pertain to women. Ultimately, though, it's hard for her to focus exclusively on the oppression of women.

During an internship in South Africa in 2004 she was asked if there was rape in America. "Obviously internationally we don't acknowledge the amount of women who are raped. It's very important to continue to talk about sexual and domestic abuse that women face. I believe in liberation for oppressed people. My goal as an African American woman is to work on issues that affect communities of African descent without necessarily geographical barriers."

It is important to Dara that young women "develop your own analysis of what liberation means. What does it mean to be free, not only just for yourself, but collectively?" She urges us to "constantly stay aware and surround yourself with people who are committed to liberation and learning."

Dara appreciates GirlSpeak's continued effort to highlight women who might not otherwise be spotlighted in the media. Young women who want to become involved in the HOA movement should contact their local chapter.

For more information visit www.handsoffassata.org