The FBI’s COINTELPRO was a covert weapon aimed directly at Black liberation in the 1960s — a program built to spy on, sabotage, and extinguish the very fire fueling our activism. Figures like Assata Shakur, the prominent member of the Black Liberation Army who died recently, became targets of this extensive surveillance and repression. The organization went after our leaders, grassroots organizers, and community programs by way of infiltration and downright violence under the direction of former FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover. It is imperative that you know exactly what COINTELPRO is, and never forget that the fight for Black liberation has always been under attack.
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The next slides break down the shocking ways the program targeted our community and Black-led initiatives for self-defense and liberation.
What is COINTELPRO?
According to the FBI’s records, COINTELPRO — short for Counter Intelligence Program — was created in 1956 for the purpose of disrupting the activities of the “Communist Party of the United States.” By the 1960’s the agency expanded to include the Ku Klux Klan, Socialist Workers Party, and especially the Black Panther Party.
Who Was Behind COINTELPRO?
Former FBI director J Edgar Hoover created the Counter Intelligence program in 1956 to “neutralize” specific political groups in the United States. In 1967, a secret surveillance campaign was created, aimed at “subversive” civil rights organizations and Black leaders including the Black Panther Party, Martin Luther King Jr., Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, and others, per Berkeley Library.
The Main Objective
According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s archives, COINTELPRO’s main objective was to “expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize” its targets — which in our case includes the revolutionary fight for Black liberation, Black rights, and power. FBI memos clearly state their goal was to prevent a Black “messiah,” per PBS, who could potentially electrify a militant movement.
J. Edgar Hoover’s View
Hoover was a fierce overseer of the program, and deemed those involved in Black liberation movements “Black extremists” or “Black nationalist hate groups.” As far as the former director was concerned, our organizations were a grave threat to national security, per Collaborative History.
Hoover’s Black Revolutionary Hit List
COINTELPRO targeted leaders including (but not limited to) Martin Luther King Jr., who faced harassment and anonymous letters, Malcolm X, who was closely monitored, Stokely Carmichael and H. Rap Brown of SNCC — the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee — and Elijah Muhammad of the Nation of Islam.
The FBI vs. the Black Panther Party
COINTELPRO went all in on dismantling the Black Panther Party, using infiltration, false arrests, and constant surveillance against them. The FBI also targeted the Panthers’ by way of trusted informant, William O’Neal, per American Archive.
The Assassination of Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton was the exact type of Black “messiah” that gave Hoover nightmares. He created the Rainbow Coalition, established in the Chi alongside revolutionary allies including the Young Lords and the Young Patriots — the left wing of white Appalachian revolutionaries.
Hampton — and fellow BPP member Mark Clark — was shot dead after the FBI and Chicago PD targeted and assassinated him in 1969 at the age of 21, per National Archives. At 4:30 a.m., police fired over 90 bullets into his apartment, killing Hampton… and devastating the movement.
Destruction of the Black Panther Party
The FBI’s Ghetto Informant Program (GIP) aimed to weaken and criminalize the Black Panther Party by using informants to sow internal conflict. William O’Neal, a Black Panther member turned FBI informant, provided the information that enabled the 1969 police raid on Fred Hampton’s Chicago apartment.
Divide and Conquer Tactics
The FBI actively drew conflict between groups, sending fake letters and spreading false rumors to spark beefs. Leaders were turned against each other, and organizations like SNCC, the Panthers, and the Nation of Islam were pushed into unnecessary infighting that drained their energy and focus.
Criminalizing Black Activism
By labeling Black leaders as “criminals,” “terrorists,” or “extremists,” the FBI framed legitimate activism as a threat to public safety. This narrative justified raids, mass arrests, and surveillance while painting liberation work as lawlessness.
Spying on Black Folks
COINTELPRO didn’t just watch leaders — it spied on everyday people. Phone taps, mail interceptions, hidden informants, fake letters… I mean they spared no expense when it came to discrediting movements, tactics which in many cases were illegal and unethical, per EBSCO.
Community Programs Destroyed
The nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) that we all benefit from today was directly influenced by the Panther Party’s original Free Breakfast for Children Program (FBCP).
The Legacy of COINTELPRO
Though officially “ended” in 1971, its damage lingered. Black movements lost leaders, programs, and momentum. Its legacy is a reminder that the fight for Black liberation has always faced covert and overt attacks from those in power.
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