The Wilmington Ten
Violence, Injustice, and the Rise of Black Politics in the 1970s
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
In February 1971, racial tension surrounding school desegregation in Wilmington, North Carolina, culminated in four days of violence and skirmishes between white vigilantes and black residents. The turmoil resulted in two deaths, six injuries, more than $500,000 in damage, and the firebombing of a white-owned store, before the National Guard restored uneasy peace. Despite glaring irregularities in the subsequent trial, ten young persons were convicted of arson and conspiracy and then sentenced to a total of 282 years in prison. They became known internationally as the Wilmington Ten. A powerful movement arose within North Carolina and beyond to demand their freedom, and after several witnesses admitted to perjury, a federal appeals court, also citing prosecutorial misconduct, overturned the convictions in 1980.
Kenneth Janken narrates the dramatic story of the Ten, connecting their story to a larger arc of Black Power and the transformation of post-Civil Rights era political organizing. Grounded in extensive interviews, newly declassified government documents, and archival research, this book thoroughly examines the 1971 events and the subsequent movement for justice that strongly influenced the wider African American freedom struggle.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Janken (White: The Biography of Walter White, Mr. NAACP) recreates in meticulous detail a trial that became a cause celebre in the 1970s. Setting the scene, he describes how the desegregation of the Wilmington, N.C., school system in 1970 led to rioting, arson, and finally the arrival of the National Guard in early 1971. In the wake of this violence, 10 people nine African-American men and one white woman were arrested, tried, and convicted of arson and conspiracy. Janken's account of their experiences takes readers through their trial, which involved prosecutorial misconduct and flagrantly biased jury selection; the attempts of a coalition of activists to free them; and the overturning of their convictions in 1979. The bittersweet conclusion concerns the difficulty with which the Wilmington 10 resumed their lives, or attempted to. Younger readers may be most surprised by the blatant racism expressed by some of the court officials for example, the prosecutor making pleased note of the KKK affiliation of potential jurors. The story's minutiae can become overwhelming, but the subject matter is fascinating, and it's illustrative of how far Americans still have to go in bridging our society's divisions. 12 illus.
