Protest in the Port City : The story of The Wilmington Ten

UNCW Author/Contributor (non-UNCW co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Jennifer Whitmer Taylor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW )
Web Site: http://library.uncw.edu/
Advisor
Robert Toplin

Abstract: Protest in the Port City is a documentary film, running approximately one hour and seven minutes, that covers the tumultuous years of 1968-1980 in Wilmington, North Carolina and the Wilmington 10 case. A master’s thesis, this film also includes a footnoted transcription to ensure its accuracy and prove its relevance as original research. The film argues that the Wilmington 10, convicted on arson and conspiracy charges in connection with racial violence that exploded in February 1971, were prosecuted and convicted in an inequitable trial. Furthermore, Wilmington 10 leader and militant Rev. Benjamin Chavis did not introduce violence to Wilmington, as the city experienced racial violence on a large scale in 1898 and riots throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. The film also highlights the roots of the social environment that led to the Wilmington 10 case, including the closing of Williston Senior High School, a distinguished African American school, in 1968. The film concludes by illustrating that the wounds of racial violence in the city remain open, leaving Wilmington vulnerable to future unrest.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
A Thesis Submitted to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters of Arts
Language: English
Date: 2009
Keywords
African Americans--North Carolina--Wilmington, Riots--North Carolina--Wilmington--History, Wilmington (N.C.)--History, Wilmington (N.C.)--Race relations
Subjects
Riots -- North Carolina -- Wilmington -- History
Wilmington (N.C.) -- Race relations
Wilmington (N.C.) -- History
African Americans -- North Carolina -- Wilmington

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