Chicago Teachers Union Faces Backlash For Post Honoring Assata Shakur

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is drawing conservative backlash over a social media post honoring the late activist and Black Liberation Army member Assata Shakur.

Shakur’s recent death in Cuba, where she lived in exile for more than 40 years after escaping a life sentence for her 1973 conviction in the killing of a New Jersey state trooper, has reignited debates over her life and legacy. For many, she remains a symbol of resistance against racial injustice and government oppression.

There have been swarms of posts honoring Shakur in the wake of her passing. The CTU joined in to celebrate Shakur for standing as a testament to the ongoing fight for freedom against racial and systemic oppression.

”Rest in Power, Rest in Peace, Assata Shakur,” the CTU tweeted on Sept. 26. “Today we honor the life and legacy of a revolutionary fighter, a fierce writer, a revered elder of Black liberation, and a leader of freedom whose spirit continues to live in our struggle.”

CTU continued. “Assata refused to be silenced. She taught us that ‘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.’”

But given all the controversy that surrounds Shakur, the CTU has come under fire from conservatives who are disappointed that a teacher’s union within a major city would honor a figure associated with the murder of a police officer.

”How about we honor the man she murdered instead,” one X user wrote.

”She murdered a New Jersey state trooper, escaped prison as one of the FBI’s most wanted, then fled to Cuba under the protection of a Communist dictator. You people shouldn’t be teaching kids,” another user wrote.

Fox News released an article condemning the CTU for honoring “the death of a convicted murderer on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list.” The outlet also cited New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s tweet, calling the CTU post “shameful and depraved.”

Although Shakur was convicted of the killing of Trooper Werner Foerster, no definitive evidence tied her to the crime. Tried before an all-white jury, she was found guilty despite the absence of fingerprints or gunpowder residue, and she and her supporters have long maintained she was surrendering with her hands raised during the shootout.

She was convicted as an accomplice to murder, the case later unraveled when a key witness admitted to perjury, yet the verdict remained, ultimately leading her to escape and decades of exile in Cuba.

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