MLK Files Unsealed: What Is It And Why Is The Family of Martin Luther King Protesting?

On 21 July, the Trump administration released records of the FBI's surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr. This included details prior and after his assassination in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. The late Nobel laureate's family opposed this, as did the civil rights group that King led.

King's children released a statement on Monday concerning the matter. Martin III, now 67, and Bernice, 62, said that their father's killing has been a 'captivating public curiosity for decades.' However, the pair emphasised the personal nature behind the matter, urging the files 'be viewed within their full historical context.'

The documents include more than 230,000 pages of records under a court-imposed seal since 1977. The FBI gathered the records and turned them over to the National Archives and Records Administration.

Why The King Family Protested Against Its Release

The MLK Files were intended to be sealed until 2027, prior to Justice Department attorneys requesting to lift the order early. Aside from King's family, The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King co-founded, opposed its release.

The group, along with the King family, alleged that the FBI illegally surveilled King and other civil rights figures. It was also argued that they took action with hopes to discredit them and their movement.

Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was notably interested if not obsessed with King and other considered radicals. Previous records showed how Hoover had King wiretapped, bugged, and used informants to gather information, including evidence of King's extramarital affairs.

King's children said that they 'support transparency and historical accountability,' but 'object to any attacks on our father's legacy or attempts to weaponise it to spread falsehoods.'

King's opposition intensified after his role in compelling the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. After the victories, King turned his attention to economic justice and international peace.

His critique of capitalism, the Vietnam War, and political rights not being enough to ensure a just society earned the ire of Hoover. He and other establishment figures then saw King as a communist threat.

Is The Release Of The MLK Files A Cover Up?

As a candidate, Trump promised to release prominent records previously withheld from the public. Apart from the MLK Files, he also promised the files for John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination. He then signed an executive order to declassify these files when he took office in January.

Trump's release on the MLK Files are timely, as it translates into alternative headlines. At the moment, his administration is under scrutiny for their handling of Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking investigation. This matter dates back to his first presidential run in 2019, when Epstein killed himself behind bars while awaiting trial.

Last Friday, Trump ordered the Justice Department to release grand jury testimony but stopped before unsealing the entire case file.

The King children did not mention Trump in their statement on Monday. However, Bernice King did post a monochromatic photo of her father with the caption 'Now, do the Epstein files'.

Civil rights activists had their fill of comments regarding President Trump as well. 'Trump releasing the MLK assassination files is not about transparency or justice,' said Rev. Al Sharpton.

'It's a desperate attempt to distract people from the firestorm engulfing Trump over the Epstein files and the public unravelling of his credibility among the MAGA base,' he added.