Oct 5, 2022 - News

FBI monitored Aretha Franklin for decades

Joe Guillen

Aretha Franklin, her husband Glynn Turman and Jesse Jackson at Dodger Stadium in 1979 — Aretha Franklin, her husband Glynn Turman, right, and Jesse Jackson at Dodger Stadium in 1979. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The FBI's tracking of music legend Aretha Franklin's civil rights work involved fake phone calls and surveillance, Rolling Stone reports.

The bureau amassed a 270-page file on Franklin over 40 years.

Why it matters: The file, obtained through a public records request, sheds more light on the government's continued pattern of scrutiny on Black activists and entertainers.

The Queen of Soul grew up in Detroit, died here in 2018 and is among the city's most revered icons.

What they're saying: “I’m not really sure if my mother was aware that she was being targeted by the FBI and followed," Franklin’s son told Rolling Stone. "I do know that she had absolutely nothing to hide though."

🔎 Read Franklin's file

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FBI monitored Aretha Franklin for decades

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