The story of Assata Shakur’s journey is long and complicated, some viewing her as a dangerous criminal, and some considering her a martyr to racism. The 1997 documentary about Shakur titled “Eyes of the Rainbow,’ while possibly being skewed toward a more positive perception of the notorious figure in the fight against racism, still offers a crucial insight into Shakur’s life and background, therefore, examining the factors that have affected her choices.
The movie highlights that, as a political exile, Shakur led a life full of hardships and dangers. As Shakur explains, due to her active pro-woman position and the focus on women’s rights, “they tried to keep me, therefore, the rest of my life,” “they” being referred to U.S. authorities (“Eyes of the Rainbow” 00:01:25). Therefore, the film highlights that Shakur was hounded and actively persecuted due to her plight for justice as an African American woman.
Taking retrospect into Shakur’s past will illuminate the nature of her relationships with the legal system. Specifically, as an active participant of political activism and the promoter of African American women’s plight for liberty, she has been quite controversial in her choices of protest (Prevost 121). However, as the film demonstrates, nothing in her choices and actions warranted the abuse that she has received form the U.S. legal authorities, which further proves rampant racism observed in the U.S. at the time. As Shakur expressively states in one of the older videos offered in documentary, “I’ll never forget what I saw. I’ll never forget what I’ve lived through; I’ll never forget what my people have lived through” (“Eyes of the Rainbow” 00: 31:01). The experience of the drastic abuse of the legal system implied that Shakur’s relationship with it was incredibly traumatic for Shakur.
Similarly, the treatment of Assata as a political prisoner was beyond despicable. As she recalls in the documentary, it was the “price of stepping out and standing up” (“Eyes of the Rainbow” 00:12:53). However, the specified price was extremely difficult to pay, with torturous experiences having left tremendous marks on her life. Specifically, the fact that she was initially sent to the all-male correctional facility indicated complete lack of willingness to recognize her dignity and basic human rights by the legal system. In turn, the movie introduces the audience to the grim realities of the injustice and violence that Shakur faced when being imprisoned, thus, shedding light on the issue of profound racism in the U.S. justice system of the time.
Finally, the connection between Shakur and Cuban people, as well as her links to African American people as she fled the U.S., deserve to be mentioned. The documentary should be credited for being particularly rife with details regarding the specified part of Shakur’s biography (Shakur 218). Namely, the film demonstrates her allegiance to her African American community and her willingness to continue seeking the ways to reinstate their rights: “’Olugbala’ means ‘for the people’” (“Eyes of the Rainbow” 00:42:41). The specified sentiment demonstrates her strong intent to continue being the voice of the opposition and promote the idea of racial equality (Hall 343; Tenorio 72). Furthermore, Shakur expresses a strong link with her community and her legacy on a more intimate emotional level: “It was really hard not to have a profound respect for this planet, for nature […]” (“Eyes of the Rainbow” 00:14:49). Therefore, Shakur’s link to the people that surround her and the environment in which she lives is quite prominent in the documentary.
Though the documentary obviously seeks to represent Shakur in a positive light, it still captures her character and her intentions as one of the prominent figures in the struggle for equality by offering an honest portrayal of her life. As a result, the rationale behind her choices, specifically, the willingness to encourage equality within her community and the passionate need to restore justice, becomes evident. Thus, the documentary allows viewing Shakur as sympathetic despite the controversy surrounding her exile. Furthermore, the film sheds light on the dire situation in which she was trapped as a result of her willingness to speak the truth and fight for justice in the environment that was profoundly racist and often misogynistic. Thus, the documentary should be credited for the effective use of personal storytelling and the available factual evidence to introduce a different perspective on the life of Assata Shakur.
Works Cited
Eyes of the Rainbow. Directed by Gloria Rolando, 1997. YouTube, uploaded by National Black United Front, Web.
Hall, Ashley R. “Slippin’in and out of frame: An Afrafuturist feminist orientation to Black women and American citizenship.” Quarterly Journal of Speech, vol. 106, no. 3, 2020, pp. 341-351.
Prevost, Gary. “Cuban Revolution in America: Havana and the Making of a United States Left, 1968-1992.” International Journal for Cuban Studies, vol., 11, no. 1, 2019, pp. 120-123.
Shakur, Assata. “To my people.” Women’s Studies Quarterly, vol. 46, no. 3 & 4, 2018, pp. 217-221.
Tenorio, Sam C. “Assata’s Escape as Disincarceral Practice.” Cultural Dynamics, vol. 33, no. 1-2, 2021, pp. 65-81.