Yesterday, domestic terrorists attempted a takeover of the United States Capitol. We condemn this assault, as we condemn the values of white supremacy and authoritarian law that so obviously animated it.

The events depicted in MLK/FBI demonstrate the bias and harassment Black activists have had to endure since the country's founding. This same treatment was visible during protests last summer. It is vitally important that those who are identified as having participated in yesterday's riot be prosecuted to the extent of the law, and not granted any special clemency because of the color of their skin. As much as the effort to secure the Capitol, this will test the character of our country.

So long as the meaning of words like freedom and democracy are mutable, Dr. King's mission will be far from over. For the president, for his followers, these words are nothing more than code for white power. On this day we recommit ourselves to the values of nonviolence, love and diversity cherished by King and by so many in the freedom struggle, past and present. May their example remind us America is capable of more than what we saw yesterday.

MLK/FBI is an essential expose of the surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (labeled by the FBI as the "most dangerous" Black person in America), undertaken by J. Edgar Hoover and the U.S. government. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government's history of targeting Black activists. Directed by Emmy® Award-winner and Oscar®-nominee Sam Pollard, MLK/FBI recounts a tragic story with searing relevance to our current moment.

In select theaters and on digital/cable VOD on January 15, 2021.

Director: Sam Pollard

Producer: Benjamin Hedin 

Executive Producers: David Friend, Charlotte Cook, Jeffrey Lurie, Marie Therese Guirgis, Kate Hurwitz, Dana O'Keefe, and Steven Farneth

Runtime: 102 Minutes

Distributor: IFC Films