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The FBI's War on Black America

The FBI's War on Black America

53m

January 1, 1990 (35 years ago)

Overview

Through a secret program called the Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO), there was a concerted effort to subvert the will of the people to avoid the rise "of a Black Messiah" that would mobilize the African-American community into a meaningful political force. This documentary establishes historical perspective on the measures initiated by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI which aimed to discredit black political figures and forces of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Combining declassified documents, interviews, rare footage and exhaustive research, it investigates the government's role in the assassinations of Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, and Martin Luther King Jr. Were the murders the result of this concerted effort to avoid "a Black Messiah"?

ActorAge thenAge now
H. Rap Brown

H. Rap Brown

Self

Birthday: October 4, 1943

4681
Kwame Ture

Kwame Ture

Self

Birthday: June 29, 1941

48 November 15, 1998 (57)
Eldridge Cleaver

Eldridge Cleaver

Self (archive footage)

Birthday: August 31, 1935

54 May 1, 1998 (62)
Kathleen Cleaver

Kathleen Cleaver

Self

Birthday: May 13, 1945

4480
Fred Hampton

Fred Hampton

Self (archive footage)

Birthday: August 30, 1948

41 December 4, 1969 (21)
Malcolm X

Malcolm X

Self (archive footage)

Birthday: May 19, 1925

64 February 21, 1965 (39)
Huey P. Newton

Huey P. Newton

Self (archive footage)

Birthday: February 17, 1942

47 August 22, 1989 (47)
Geronimo Pratt

Geronimo Pratt

Self

Birthday: September 13, 1947

42 June 2, 2011 (63)
Bobby Rush

Bobby Rush

Self

Birthday: November 23, 1946

4378