Assata Shakur and the Fight Against the Biggest Bully of All

Since the passing of Assata Shakur, I have been ruminating on the gravity of her legacy.  My father taught me about her story as a young girl growing up and she has always been like a mythical figure to me.  To know that this black woman stood "ten toes down" as we say, against on of the most powerful and oppressive governments in the world, and came out with her freedom has always been a reminder to me of the power we all possess when we refuse to back down to bullies!  

As adults bullying isn’t always a one-on-one personal encounter, many times it is ingrained into our social structures. It gets new names: government, system, institution. And it takes on a scale so massive that it doesn’t just push one person around, it pushes entire communities, entire movements.

One of the clearest examples of this is the life of Assata Shakur.

The Bully in the Room...

The U.S. government has long played the role of bully, especially when it comes to Black liberation movements. Through COINTELPRO, the FBI surveilled, harassed, and targeted leaders of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, people whose only “crime” was demanding freedom and dignity for their people, for all people. They painted these leaders as criminals, radicals, and terrorists, not because they were violent, but because they were powerful and because they pushed back.

Assata Shakur, a member of the Black Panther Party and later the Black Liberation Army, became one of their prime targets. Her story reminds us how the state uses its power to silence voices of resistance, often twisting the truth to villainize those fighting against oppression, twisting and controlling the narrative through media propaganda.

Fighting Back Against Institutional Bullying

Assata’s resistance was not just about personal survival, it was about refusing to let the government bully her community into submission. She stood up against racial injustice, economic exploitation, and state violence, knowing full well the risks. For that, she was hunted, imprisoned, and demonized.

But Assata never allowed the bully to have the last word. Her escape from prison, her survival, and her continued presence prevailed as a symbol of resistance reminding us that even the biggest bully can be challenged.

The Legacy of Resistance

Assata Shakur’s words, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” are a direct rebuke to the bully. They teach us that the antidote to oppression is community, love, and relentless courage.

Her story also warns us that bullying doesn’t disappear when it wears a uniform or carries a badge. In fact, that’s when it’s most dangerous. But it also shows us that we don’t have to accept it. We can resist, we can protect one another, and we can create new worlds where bullying, whether in the schoolyard or the halls of power has no place.

Too Dope to Bully

Assata’s life reminds us that being “Too Dope To Bully” is not just about personal confidence. It’s about collective power. It’s about refusing to bow down to the systems that want to break us. And it’s about standing up, again and again, knowing that our liberation depends on it.

Like Assata, we can look the bully in the eye and say: you don’t get to define me. You don’t get to destroy me. I am too dope to bully.