Naacp of North Carolina

Video Probes Significance of 1898 Wilmington Riots

The Wilmington riots of 1898, essentially a coup that overthrew a legitimate government and burned the properties of African Americans, without offering them redress or compensation, still has relevance today. UNC-TV's Black Issues Forum explored the legacy of 1898, the prospects of reparations, and includes excerpts from the state convention of the NAACP meeting in Wilmington. "We're here because you can't get your present right if you don't properly deal with your past," observed the Rev. Dr. William Barber II. Watch it now.

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• Brief Video: Historian John Hope Franklin Discusses Significance of the 1898 Riots

John Hope Franklin Discusses the Significance of the 1898 Wilmington Riots, Reparations for Discrimination, Memories of James Weldon Johnson; His Life and Work

In a videotaped address to the North Carolina NAACP meeting in Wilmington, NC, Duke University historian John Hope Franklin, 93, discusses the continued significance of the 1898 Wilmington riots or coup d'etat. (Videography by Jan Nichols of the North Carolina Justice Center; video editing by Jim Buie for the NC NAACP.) In the clip below,

Injustices from 1898 Riots Have Not Yet Been Addressed

In November 1898, armed whites marched through black sections of Wilmington, driving people out and killing some who challenged them. Whites also deposed elected black officials and took control of the city. A bill has passed in the state House to acknowledge the riot, agreeing that the state government failed to protect the citizens of North Carolina during that time. But the descendants have yet to receive any compensation for their families' loss of considerable wealth resulting from the destruction of family property.

WRAL has covered several aspects of this story:

• Bill Would Make Wilmington Riots Part of Curriculum
• N&O Acknowledges Role in Wilmington Race Riot
• Commission Report Details History, Effects Of Wilmington Riots
• House Acknowledges Race Riot
• Wilmington Remembers the Past to Improve the Future of Race Relations
• Proposed Bill Would Compensate Victims Of N.C. Sterilization Program