Civil Rights Course in Full Operation at FBI Academy


January 15, 2016

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, legacy, and a visit to the civil rights leader’s national memorial in Washington, D.C. are part of a course at the FBI Academy.


Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, legacy, and a visit to the civil rights leader’s national memorial in Washington, D.C. are part of a course at the FBI Academy.

The course came to be as a result of one of the first directives made by the head of the FBI, James Comey…

Director James Comey: I think it will serve as a different kind of lesson—one more personal to the Bureau—of the dangers in becoming untethered to oversight and accountability.

Halpern: New agent and intelligence analyst trainees made their inaugural visit to the King memorial in August of 2014. Special Agent James Hicks is one of the first of 852 FBI employees who have taken the course.

James Hicks: As a black male, you realize that what Dr. King did for civil rights was absolutely amazing. It has a direct impact on the opportunities that I have today.

Halpern: The FBI teamed up with the Memorial Foundation—which was responsible for erecting the Martin Luther King Memorial—and the National Park Service to develop the program. With FBI, This Week, I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau.

Related information:

-Inside the FBI podcast
-More on the FBI's Civil Rights program
 

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