The FBI Attempted To Honor Dr. Martin Luther King And Got Absolutely Destroyed On Social Media
The FBI attempted to join the chorus of individuals and groups remembering the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a post on X/Twitter on Jan. 15. However, the organization’s post would soon be served with a fact checker’s version of a clap-back. Using the social media platform’s community notes feature, users noted that the FBI was involved in surveillance, the discrediting of King’s work, and attempts to stop him from organizing, before finally noting that the King family believes that the FBI is responsible for his death.
The FBI tweeted, “This MLKDay, the FBI honors one of the most prominent leaders of the Civil Rights movement and reaffirms its commitment to Dr. King’s legacy of fairness and equal justice for all.”
Underneath their post, there appeared a community note reading, “The FBI engaged in surveillance of King, attempted to discredit him, and used manipulation tactics to influence him to stop organizing. King’s family believe the FBI was responsible for his death.”
Users of the platform also rated the community note as helpful, indicating that it was a clear and concise rebuttal of the FBI’s post.
Pollard also commented on an anonymous letter sent to King, which had been crafted as though someone who was close to King had sent it, saying, “They were trying to make it sound like it was not only a former associate but a ‘Negro’ who wrote that letter,” Pollard said. “This is supposed to be the nation’s police, that’s supposed to be doing the right thing, and this is the lengths they’ll go to destroy a human being? It’s awful.”
A second, older source cites a CBS News report from 1999, in which Coretta Scott King responded to a jury finding that Dr. King was a victim of a vast conspiracy against his life and not merely the actions of a lone shooter, James Earl Ray. In the article, Scott King implored the Justice Department to take up a new investigation into her husband’s murder, telling then-CBS Early Show anchor Bryant Gumbel, “I think that if people will look at the evidence that we have, it’s conclusive and I think the Justice Department has a responsibility to do what it feels is the right thing to do, the just thing to do.”
Dexter King, one of civil rights leader’s sons, led the family‘s search for truth. He told CBS News at the time, “It’s been painful and also has been bittersweet. Bitter because of the tragedy, obviously, but liberating in the sense and sweet that we have been vindicated and ultimately that the significant of this historical verdict that really rewrites history is liberating. Now we can move on with our lives, have a sense of closure and healing.”
The Huffington Post contacted the FBI’s national press office for commentary and was sent a statement from the organization, reading “The FBI has long acknowledged the abuses of power that took place under Director J. Edgar Hoover and the deplorable actions taken against Dr. King and others involved in the civil rights movement. Today, the FBI honors Dr. King’s life and legacy and uses those lessons from our past to reaffirm our commitment to equal justice, fairness, and diversity.”
Users on X/Twitter seemed not to buying the FBI’s attempts at honoring King and nor were others with questionable commitments to the social justice espoused by the Civil Rights icon spared. President Joe Biden, Senator Mitch McConnell, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott were among the political figures who tweeted MLK posts and received pointed commentary from users on the social media platform.
RELATED CONTENT: National Park Service Seeks Public Participation In Safeguarding MLK Home In Atlanta
The post The FBI Attempted To Honor Dr. Martin Luther King And Got Absolutely Destroyed On Social Media first appeared on Black Enterprise.