Obituary: ... there they go !

Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur,​

Convicted cop killer, an FBI Most Wanted terrorist,​

broke out of New Jersey prison in 1979 and fled to the communist island​

dead in Cuba, communist regime says​

By Louis Casiano Fox News
Published September 26, 2025 12:37pm EDT | Updated September 26, 2025 12:55pm EDT
"On September 25, 2025, American citizen Joanne Deborah Byron, ‘Assata Shakur,’ passed away in Havana, Cuba, due to health conditions and advanced age," the ministry's statement said.


Wikipedia
 

Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur,

Convicted cop killer, an FBI Most Wanted terrorist #81

This is NOT an endorsement of "COP killers", but an acknowledgement: "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."
Did this minority American "escape prison"? Or did prison insiders that understood she'd been railroaded (some might say "framed") help liberate her?
 
Tuskegee

George Hardy, last of the Tuskegee Airmen's World War II combat pilots, dies at 100

Sept. 26, 2025, 6:27 PM GMT-5 / Updated Sept. 26, 2025, 6:40 PM GMT-5
By Aaron Gilchrist
Lt. Col. George Hardy, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen and the last of the group's World War II combat pilots, died Tuesday night, according to Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
“His legacy is one of courage, resilience, tremendous skill and dogged perseverance against racism, prejudice and other evils, said Leon Butler, national president of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. “We are forever grateful for his sacrifice and will hold dear to his memory.”
At 19, Hardy became the youngest Tuskegee fighter pilot when he completed the Army Air Corps pilot training program in 1942, earning his wings and a commission as a second lieutenant.
He was among the first Black military pilots in the nation. Hardy flew 21 missions over Germany during World War II and also served in the Korean War and Vietnam War.

Thank you for your distinguished service Col. Hardy.

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After Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox April 9, 1865 both Confederate and Union troops rode trains to return to their homes. But due to the persistent racism of the day, victorious Negro Union troops were required to ride in the back of the train, while defeated White Confederate troops rode in front.
Escaped slave / abolitionist / journalist / influential lecturer Frederick Douglass responded:
"We Negroes love our country. We fought for it. We ask only that we be treated as well as those that fought against it." Fredric Douglass

note:
- Skin color, a continuing controversy in our 3rd millennium "melting pot" / mosaic.
During WWII a spectrum of attitudes applied to this other Tuskegee experiment.
Some historic accounts assert the bigoted view that darker skinned Americans weren't capable of being U.S. military combat pilots, but were allowed to proceed, setting them up to fail, verifying the bigotry that dismissed their potential.
It's difficult to study this chapter in U.S. military history without acknowledging the heroism of our Tuskegee Airmen.
- A feature fiction film inspired by this history was released to cinemas years ago, a flop in my opinion. I believe an accurate documentary of their historic contributions would have earned greater ratings.
 
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Dr. Jane Goodall, the legendary animal rights advocate, has died at 91. Dr. Goodall's life was a beacon for progressive activism — a bridge between science and moral purpose.

Beginning her journey in Gombe, Tanzania, Goodall shattered old paradigms by revealing that chimpanzees have personalities, emotions, complex social lives, and even the ability to make and use tools — discoveries that forced us to reexamine what it means to be human.

But her legacy stretches far beyond the forest. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute, launched Roots & Shoots to empower youth across the globe, and became a fierce voice for climate justice, animal rights, and environmental equity.

In February 2020, amid the darkness and chaos of the Trump administration, Dr. Goodall wrote: "We’re going through very dark times: socially, politically and especially environmentally. And lots of people are kind of losing hope, because you get this message, think globally, act locally. But if you think globally, you get really depressed. So, the message is about acting locally. And the main message is that each one of us makes some impact on the planet every single day."

A leading voice in the fight against the climate crisis, Goodall admonished global citizens to act with the necessary urgency to avert a catastrophe. “We are emitting greenhouse gasses that are causing temperatures to rise … We are in the midst of the sixth great extinction of plant and animal life. … But only if we get together and take action now. And without hope we will fall into apathy and do nothing. Then we are doomed.”

“In order to slow down climate change, we must solve four seemingly unsolvable problems," she added. "We must eliminate poverty. We must change the unsustainable lifestyles of so many of us. We must abolish corruption. And we must think about our growing human population… But I believe we have a window of time to have an impact.”

She often reminded us that “what you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” And she carried that liberal conviction to the end: that our planet deserves justice, the powerless deserve champions, and hope must be turned into action.

Dr. Goodall stood against corporate greed, environmental destruction, and right-wing denialism of climate science. She was proof that one determined woman could shake the conscience of the world.

Rest in power, Dr. Goodall. The fight continues — for animals, for the planet, for the future — and your voice will forever guide us.
 
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