The Institute for Policy Studies will recognize Black August by hosting this public educational film and discussion about COINTELPRO, the series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations. The tactics used included discrediting targets through psychological warfare, planting false reports in the media, smearing through forged letters, harassment, wrongful imprisonment, extralegal violence and assassination.

COINTELPRO 101 is a 56 minute educational film that will open the door to understanding this history. The documentary will introduce viewers new to this history to the basics and direct them to other resources where they can learn more. The intended audiences are (but not limited to) the generations that did not experience the social justice movements of the sixties and seventies.

The film showing will be followed by a Q&A with discussion revealing present comparable policies and practices by the U.S. government like the FBI’s designation “Black Identity Extremist” thought to be a means of maligning the Black Lives Matter movement.

Light refreshments will be provided.