MLK/FBI (2020)

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MLK/FBI was released on January 15, 2021, in the USA. The American film was produced by Video Dialog Inc. The film was written by Benjamin Hedin and Laura Tomaselli. The movie was directed by Sam Pollard. The movie was displaying how the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)'s surveillance and harassment towards Martin Luther King, Jr. was done by the instruction of J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the FBI at the time[1].

Plot

The film explores the Bureau's campaign to spy on the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., to record his statements and acts and if given the chance, to use them against him. As one of the internals FBI memos was written "We must mark him now as the most dangerous Negro in the future of this Nation", the FBI did wiretaps, surveillance, and place informants near King to reveal the King's dark life. The Official leaders of state approve the FBI actions and had uncovered several of King's life. The FBI sent the blackmail letter and the tapes to King and his wife and simply telling them "You know what you have to do". At one time, King met Hoover and their meeting was not documented as the media was not allowed to enter the meeting. Though the clarity of King's surveillance would be available to the public in 2027 still, one retired FBI agent said that the tapes should remain in the dark and did not have to be revealed to the public[2].

Black Empowerment

Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington in 1963 (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)[3]

We can see how Martin Luther King aspire people to fight for civil rights. When he did the March on Washington, he inspired many people especially African Americans as he fought racism gently with no violence. He became the American rebel-hero where his fame rose tremendously which seemed to be an overnight success though it was not. Starting from the Boycott Bus in Montgomery to the I Have a Dream speech, his struggle was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as he aspired African Americans to have their rights[4]. Furthermore, when King's secret life was going to be exposed by the FBI, the media did not have any desire to reveal the story as they had an interest in protecting King and yearned to support King to lead the Civil Rights movement[5].

Controversy

As shown in the film, it is clearly scary how J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI director, can use his power to do widespread surveillance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hoover taped and wired all the rooms that were possible to be stayed by King. After the March on Washington, Hoover even wrote a memo written "It’s clear that Martin Luther King is the most dangerous Negro in America.". Hoover was trying to expose that everyone including King should be without sin, and he did it to derail the Civil Rights movement by beheading the popularity of its leader, which is King. When the FBI had gotten the audiotape of "King's sin", they sent it to King and his wife and told King "You know what you have to do. It is clear the FBI tried to blackmail King and not only that, they created propaganda where the FBI's actions were always necessary and right and it can be seen that the FBI popularity rating was at 50% while King only had 17%.[6].

References

  1. MLK/FBI (2020). IMDb. Retrieved January 22 2021
  2. Anthony Lane. “MLK/FBI” Forbids Us to Relax The New Yorker. Retrieved January 22 2021
  3. MLK Destination Photos CNN. Retrieved January 22 2021
  4. Brian Lowry. 'MLK/FBI' probes 'the darkest part' of the bureau's history CNN. Retrieved January 22 2021
  5. Owen Gleiberman. ‘MLK/FBI’ Review: An Incendiary Documentary About the FBI’s Surveillance of the Secret Life of Martin Luther King Jr. Variety. Retrieved January 22 2021
  6. Odie Henderson. MLK/FBI RogerEbert. Retrieved January 22 2021