Module 9: Assassinations

The assassination of Civil Rights leaders in the 1960s marked a tragic and turbulent period in the fight for racial equality, as many of the movement's most prominent figures were targeted for their activism and outspoken calls for change. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, while supporting the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike, a labor movement led by Black sanitation workers demanding better wages and working conditions. King's commitment to economic justice and his fight against the systemic inequities that oppressed African Americans made him a target of white supremacist groups and law enforcement agencies. His death was a devastating blow to the Civil Rights Movement and sparked widespread outrage and riots across the country, but it also further galvanized the push for racial equality.

Malcolm X, another leading figure in the fight for Black rights, was assassinated on February 21, 1965, while speaking at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. Malcolm’s advocacy for Black empowerment and his critique of the nonviolent strategies of figures like MLK led him to be viewed as a more radical and divisive leader. His shifting views, particularly after his pilgrimage to Mecca, where he began to speak about unity and broader global struggles, only heightened the tensions surrounding him. While the Nation of Islam was initially blamed for his assassination, there were widespread suspicions of a larger conspiracy, especially given Malcolm’s growing influence. The FBI, under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, had monitored and targeted Malcolm X and other civil rights leaders, perceiving them as threats to national security due to their radicalism and potential to incite social upheaval.

Fred Hampton, the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Black Panther Party, was assassinated on December 4, 1969, in a joint operation between the FBI and the Chicago Police Department. Hampton, known for his charismatic leadership and ability to unite different groups under a common cause of social justice, was seen as a significant threat by the government due to his advocacy for Black empowerment and his increasingly revolutionary rhetoric. The FBI’s COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) had been actively surveilling and attempting to discredit Hampton, and it is believed that they played a role in his assassination by providing information to the police that led to the deadly raid on his apartment. Hampton's death, along with the killings of other civil rights and Black Panther leaders, highlighted the government’s violent crackdown on those advocating for racial justice and social change, especially those seen as radical threats to the status quo.