Community members gather to remember the 1898 Wilmington Massacre

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — One church in Wilmington held an observance for the 1898 massacre today.

The program was hosted at Mt. Olive AME Church.

It started on November 10, 1898 when white insurgents overthrew the elected government and forced black leaders out of the city.

North Carolina House Representative Rodney Moore spoke at the observance about continuing to move forward.

“Well there’s a saying if you forget your history, you’re doomed to repeat it and so with some of the things that’s going on nationally and state wide we really need to come and use this as a day of remembrance, so we can understand where we’ve come. But also we need to look at some critical solutions to where we’re going forward in 2017 and beyond,” Moore said.

Moore said this was a meaningful event for him to speak at and wanted to offer solutions for moving forward.