The case of the Wilmington Ten is one of the most egregious instances of injustice and political repression from the post-World War II Black Freedom Struggle. In February 1971, racial tension surrounding school desegregation in Wilmington, North Carolina culminated in four days of violence between white vigilantes and black residents. The turmoil resulted in two deaths, six injuries, more than $500,000 in damage, and the firebombing of a white-owned store, before the National Guard restored uneasy peace. Despite glaring irregularities in the subsequent trial, ten young persons were convicted o ... More

The case of the Wilmington Ten is one of the most egregious instances of injustice and political repression from the post-World War II Black Freedom Struggle. In February 1971, racial tension surrounding school desegregation in Wilmington, North Carolina culminated in four days of violence between white vigilantes and black residents. The turmoil resulted in two deaths, six injuries, more than $500,000 in damage, and the firebombing of a white-owned store, before the National Guard restored uneasy peace. Despite glaring irregularities in the subsequent trial, ten young persons were convicted of arson and conspiracy and then sentenced to a total of 282 years in prison. They became known internationally as the Wilmington Ten. A powerful movement arose within North Carolina and beyond to demand their freedom. Powered by the grassroots organizing of black nationalist organizations, it came to include adherents of other political ideologies, elected officials, foreign governments, and Amnesty International. After several witnesses admitted to perjury, in 1980, faced with both a mobilized domestic and international public outcry and overwhelming evidence of judicial and prosecutorial misconduct, a federal appellate court overturned the convictions. This book tells the dramatic story of the Ten, connecting their story to a larger arc of Black Power and the transformation of post-Civil Rights era political organizing. It thoroughly examines the 1971 events and the subsequent movement for justice that strongly influenced the wider African American freedom struggle.