2005 – W. Mark Felt Revealed as “Deep Throat,” Exposing Nixon’s Racism

On May 31, 2005, former FBI official W. Mark Felt confirmed he was “Deep Throat,” the anonymous source who helped expose the Watergate scandal and bring down President Richard Nixon. While not exclusively a Black history moment, this revelation reopened scrutiny into Nixon’s policies and attitudes, particularly his administration’s targeting of Black activists. Tapes and memos later revealed Nixon’s deep-seated racism and deliberate attempts to suppress civil rights movements through surveillance and disruption—especially against groups like the Black Panthers and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Nixon’s administration used federal agencies to undermine Black political power under the guise of law and order. The confirmation of Deep Throat’s identity spotlighted the behind-the-scenes corruption that disproportionately harmed Black communities. May 31, 2005, thus reminds us how political scandals can obscure deeper, systemic racism embedded in American governance and policy enforcement.