RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina is moving away from using the term “race riot” to describe the violent overthrow of the Wilmington government in 1898 on the highway historical marker commemorating the event.
The original text for the marker was approved in December 2017, but the committee of historians that approves the language for markers went back to work and approved new text in the spring of 2018.
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ORGINAL TEXT:
WILMINGTON COUP
Armed crowd met, Nov. 10, 1898, at armory here, marched 6 blocks S.E., and burned office of Daily Record, black-owned newspaper edited by Alex Manly. Violence left up to 60 blacks dead. Led to overthrow of city government and the installation of coup leader Alfred Moore Waddell as mayor. “Race riot” was part of a statewide political campaign based on calls for white supremacy & exploitation of racial tensions.
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REVISED TEXT:
WILMINGTON COUP
Armed white mob met at armory here, Nov. 10, 1898. Marched six blocks and burned office of Daily Record, black-owned newspaper. Violence left untold numbers of African Americans dead. Led to overthrow of city government & installation of coup leader as mayor. Was part of a statewide political campaign based on calls for white supremacy and the exploitation of racial prejudice.