The FBI, or Federal Bureau of Investigation, has played a complex and often controversial role in Black history. Founded in 1908, the FBI has been involved in various events and investigations related to the civil rights movement and Black activism.

During the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the FBI, under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, conducted surveillance and targeted surveillance on civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hoover viewed many civil rights activists as threats to national security and actively worked to undermine their efforts.

One of the most well-known instances of the FBI's targeting of Black activists was the COINTELPRO program, a covert operation designed to disrupt and neutralize political organizations deemed subversive. Under COINTELPRO, the FBI targeted a range of groups, including the Black Panther Party and other Black nationalist organizations.

Despite these actions, the FBI also played a role in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes and acts of violence against Black Americans. The FBI's involvement in cases such as the murder of Emmett Till and the church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, helped bring perpetrators to justice and shed light on the pervasive racism and violence faced by Black communities.

In more recent history, the FBI has faced criticism for its handling of racially motivated crimes, including the investigation into the murder of civil rights activists in the 1960s and its response to the rise of white supremacist violence in the United States.

Overall, the FBI's history in relation to Black America is complex, with both positive and negative actions shaping its legacy in Black history.