On November 10, 1898, the only coup d’état ever to take place on American soil began with the torching of a black owned newspaper in Wilmington, North Carolina, and ended with white supremacists overthrowing the local government. The coup was the culmination of a white supremacy and propaganda campaign waged all across the state, designed to strip black men of the right to vote, remove them from public office, and stoke fear. Throughout the events of 1898 and after, at least 60 (and possibly hundreds) of black men were murdered, and more than 2,100 African Americans were banished or fled the city, turning a black-majority town known as a symbol of black hope and progress, into a stronghold of white supremacy. In the first half of this session, three award-winning historians, authors and experts on this period – LeRae Umfleet, David Cecelski, and Dr. Freddie Parker – will discuss the events leading up to and taking place during the Wilmington coup, as well as discuss the lasting legacy of this still little known history. After a brief presentation from each panelist, they will answer and discuss questions posed by attending educators.

During the second half of the session we will be joined by professors of education Lisa Brown Buchanan (Elon University) and Cara Ward (UNC-W), as well as middle school teacher Cori Greer-Banks, to discuss strategies for teaching 1898 Wilmington, discussion of teaching “hard history” in general, as well as the challenges teachers often face in this work. Participants will receive a list of supplemental resources after the event.

This program is open to any K-12 educator, staff or administrator, as well as those at the community college or university level. K-12 teachers can receive .3 CEUs for participating, or can combine several online events for a larger certificate. For more information visit: https://humanities.unc.edu/ck12/ceus-for-virtual-events/

The Teaching Hard History virtual series is provided by Carolina K-12 and the NC Museum of History, and is funded by the Braitmayer Foundation.