Rolling Stone: FBI Tried for Decades to Tie Aretha Franklin to "Extremists"
My piece has been published in Rolling Stone!
Aretha Franklin Was Tracked By the FBI for 40 Years. Here’s What’s In Her File: The agency tried — and failed — for decades to tie the Queen of Soul to "extremists." By Afeni Evans and me, Jenn Dize, for Rolling Stone.
I requested Aretha Franklin's FBI file in Aug. of 2018 and received it last month, Sept. 2022. The file is 270 pages long and is peppered with phrases like "Black extremists," "pro-communist," "hate America," "radical," "racial violence," and "militant Black power."
Aretha Franklin's work in the civil rights movement & association with Martin Luther King Jr., Angela Davis, and others was apparently suspicious to the FBI. Her addresses, phone numbers, and that of her agents were tracked. She also received terrifying threats from the public.
I contacted the FBI several times for comment. They replied once, early on, asking for "more time" and then never again. The documents, some of which are newly declassified, show they repeatedly tried to tie Aretha Franklin to "racial violence"-of which there was no evidence.
Eg. Aretha Franklin was not paid her fee before a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Fans, as they do, became angry and there was a disturbance because she declined to perform. This was not "racial violence." Similar incidents with white performers did not get labeled as such.
The FBI used the COINTELPRO program to track and surveil prominent Black people in America. If someone was Black and known in the U.S., they probably have a file. This goes on today under different names. You can search the FBI's Vault: https://vault.fbi.gov/search
Aretha Franklin's son, Kecalf Franklin, told us, "It does make me feel a certain way knowing the FBI had her targeted and wanted to know her every move. But at the same time knowing my mother...she had nothing to hide...As you see...they found nothing at all."
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~
Jenn
I broke this story freelance w/ my startup, indie outlet, the very one you’re looking at right now, Courage News. I very much need funding so I can keep going - for basic living as well as reporting costs. If you can help, please support by subscribing here monthly, annually, or as a founding member. Or, donate via http://GoFundMe.com/couragenews
It's unbelievable how the feds waste our tax dollars.