American Coup: Wilmington 1898

All Ages (children under 17 admitted with parent/legal guardian)

American Coup: Wilmington 1898 – The film shares the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city, Wilmington, in 1898. The screening is part of a statewide effort to share the story of the massacre, its place in US history, and its lasting impact.

The screening of the film will be followed by a panel discussion.

“American Coup: Wilmington 1898” documents this story, which was the only successful coup d’état in the history of the US. Stoking fears of “Negro Rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington’s democratically elected, multi-racial government. Black residents were murdered, and thousands were banished. The story of what happened in Wilmington was suppressed for decades until descendants and scholars began to investigate. Today, many of those descendants — Black and white — seek the truth about this intentionally buried history.

“American Coup: Wilmington 1898 is a cautionary tale about a breakdown of a cornerstone of our democracy: fair and free elections,” says Rachel Raney, PBS North Carolina’s Director of National Productions and co-executive producer of the film. “When we started researching these events in Wilmington, we quickly discovered that many North Carolinians are not aware of this important history, in part because it was intentionally buried. The more we learned, the more it became clear that all Americans need to know what happened.”

For more information, visit www.workingfilms.org. and learn more about PBS North Carolina, visit www.pbsnc.org