Joe Gutierrez Office of Strategic Communication (909) 537-5007 joeg@csusb.edu
Long buried in the history of the Deep South, the Wilmington Massacre of 1898 is the only coup d’état to have taken place in the U.S., launched by white supremacists who targeted the African American community of Wilmington, N.C., leaving many dead and others fleeing their homes.
The incident also galvanized the white supremacy movement and Jim Crow segregation not only in North Carolina, but throughout the Deep South.
At noon on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the University Diversity Committee and the John M. Pfau Library at Cal State San Bernardino will present “Wilmington on Fire,” a documentary that chronicles the events leading up to Nov. 10, 1898, when the massacre took place.
The film will be screened at the Pfau Library, room PL-5005, followed by a discussion facilitated by A. Rafik Mohamed, dean of the CSUSB College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Marc A. Robinson, CSUSB assistant professor of history.
According to the film’s website, “This incident has been barely mentioned and has been omitted from most history books. It was not until 2006, after the North Carolina General Assembly published a report on it, that the tragedy became known to the general public.”
Watch a trailer for the film at “Wilmington on Fire.”
For more information, contact Robie Madrigal, Pfau Library, at rmadriga@csusb.edu or (909) 537-5104.
