Join WABE, in partnership with The Atlanta History Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, for a special screening of American Coup: Wilmington 1898 before it airs on PBS. Guests will get to see an exclusive preview of the film and hear a panel discussion moderated by WABE’s Rose Scott with filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein, Dr. Crystal Sanders, Associate Professor of African American Studies at Emory University, and DJ Sims, Director of the Truth + Transformation Initiative at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

American Coup: Wilmington 1898 tells the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city in 1898. Stoking fears of “Negro Rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington’s democratically-elected, multi-racial government. This massacre inspired much of the 1906 Atlanta race massacre.