The Late Aretha Franklin The FBI Is following You. Unsealed Documents As A Result Of Civil Rights Activism

Aretha Franklin, who died in 2018 at the age of 76, is known as the Queen of Soul, but she was also a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement, using her musical platform to advocate for racial equality in the United States.

Due to her ties to the movement, the FBI monitored her throughout her career, primarily in the late 1960s and early 1970s, according to newly declassified documents.

The FBI labelled the SCLC’s events in Atlanta and Memphis in 1967 and 1968 as “communist infiltration” and “a summary of the racial situation in Atlanta, GA.” The bureau was concerned that Franklin’s appearances at the events would “provide an emotional spark that could spark racial unrest in this area,” because members of the group “have supported the militant black power concept.”

Included in the documents was a scheduled Black Panther Party performance, which the singer ultimately missed due to scheduling conflicts. According to the document, Bobby Seale, Chairman of the Black Panther Party, has directed the Los Angeles Black Panther Party to begin planning for a major rally culminating in the distribution of free food to poor black people in Los Angeles. “A source also reported that Gwen Goodloe wished to contact Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack for possible participation in the event.”

After discovering Franklin’s address in BLA organisation documents, the FBI allegedly saw a link between her and the Black Liberation Army. The BLA was a “quasi-military group comprised of small guerrilla units employing urban guerrilla warfare tactics against the established order in America in an effort to achieve revolutionary change,” according to the bureau. Due to a lack of evidence, the FBI concluded that Franklin’s affiliation with the BLA could not be determined.

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