Monifa Bandele is a seasoned organizer and policy advocate with leadership roles in the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and Communities United for Police Reform (CPR). She co-led major police reform cases (Daniels v. NYC, Floyd v. NYC) and helped pass key accountability laws in New York. Monifa is also COO and SVP at MomsRising.org and has led civic engagement efforts with the Brennan Center, Times Up, and others—restoring voting rights to over 250,000 formerly incarcerated people.
In this powerful Throw Forward clip, Monifa Bandele shares her experience meeting freedom fighter Assata Shakur in Cuba. She reflects on the wisdom and advice Assata gave her—and how that legacy inspired Common to write “A Song for Assata.”
