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Dr. Ridgley Abdul-Mumin Muhammad of the Nation of Islam Research Group discusses one of the Nation’s most famous members, Muhammad Ali, in light of the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the Ali-Frazier “Fight of the Century” this Monday, March 8.
Though Muhammad Ali won most of his fights with knockouts in the early rounds, in Frazier he finally met his match; the two fighters went the distance, and Frazier won on points. But in going the distance, Ali provided cover for the activists who broke into an FBI office and liberated to Cointelpro files:
“It was March 8, 1971, the night of Ali’s first fight with Joe Frazier, and the noise from that epic battle provided cover for the break-in of an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania. The burglary, by eight activists who stole every file in the office, revealed the illegal spying operations that FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had organized against a broad swath of Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr. The revelations led to congressional investigations and major reforms of all intelligence agencies.” – The Intercept
Dr. Ridgely explains that the FBI’s files revealed Hoover’s fear of the rise of a “messiah” who would galvanize African-American resistance to oppression. Who were the four messiah candidates the FBI feared, what happened to them, and who wound up in the role? Tune in and find out!