Martin Luther King Jr

Does a political ad showing Georgia Senate candidate Raphael Warnock saying "God damn America" present the video in context? No, it does not: When Rev. Warnock uttered the controversial phrase, he was discussing the use of those words in a famous sermon by Rev. Jeremiah Wright. By taking Warnock's quote out of context, the ad implied he was communicating his…

Did the family of Martin Luther King Jr. successfully sue the U.S. government for the civil rights leader's murder? No, that's not true: The family brought a civil suit against a Memphis man, Loyd Jowers, not the U.S. government. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on June 8, 2020. It read: Mrs. Coretta Scott King sued the…

Did a cop chase down a teen, shoot him twice in the head over a stop for a bicycle light -- and then face no charges? No, that's not true: While Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, Police Sgt. Eric Giese did intially try to stop Tyrese West because his bike did not have a required light at 1:30 a.m. on the morning…

Did President John F. Kennedy say about gun control that "we need a nation of minute men"? No, that's not true: The quote cited by those opposed to gun control is from a written message (not a speech) by Kennedy in which he called for Americans "who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom" to support his…

Does new DNA prove that African Americans are indigenous aborigines of America? No, that's not true: The claim that 98 percent of Black Americans are actually "Native Indians" is made in a series of articles and videos that lack documentation and misrepresent scholarly research to rewrite history. The self-described historian making the claim also purports that American slaves were not…

Did the FBI and Memphis police admit having a role in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? No, that's not true: James Earl Ray, a civilian not connected to law enforcement, pleaded guilty to being the lone assassin of the civil rights leader on April 4, 1968, and no one with any federal, state or local agencies has…

Did an "unnamed source" say Jussie Smollett's phone records showed over 200 calls and texts from Kamala Harris and DNC operatives? No, that's not true: the source of this rumor appears to be a Reddit post by someone speculatively making a joke about a possible coverup but without any evidence to back up that assertion. The story seems to have…

'Seven Black Children Murdered For Wanting To Learn About Their History', a headline that is sure to provoke an emotional response. Fake news website Empire Herald has used it to get thousands of people upset enough to share a made-up story via social media. The events supposedly happened in Druid Hills, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, where a man named…