Community leaders reflect on the 1898 Wilmington Massacre and compare it to the January 6th insurrection

"We've all done a good job in getting the message out, and it's just a testament to say, 'Keep pushing. Keep stepping. Don't throw in the towel.'"

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY)–As we approach the 126th anniversary of The Wilmington Massacre of 1898, there was a lecture at The Wilmington Sportsman Club comparing events of the violent murders to the January 6th Insurrection. The lecture was led by Dr. Herbert Harris. In this lecture, he says we all should continue to learn the history of what happened 126 years ago so we will not have similar events happen in the future.

“Young White kids and young Black kids came together, and despite stuff, they got an understanding of one another,” Harris said. They just saw they were human beings.”

For a little back story, on November 10th, 1898, a mob of 2,000 white Democratic men overthrew Wilmington’s mixed government. They destroyed properties and homes black citizens built.

Harris says this was all an organized movement, and without sharing the history with everyone, not only will it be forgotten, but could potentially happen again, but in a different way.

Harris says the country has come a long way with integration, but we should still share the story of what happened that day.

“We’ve all done a good job in getting the message out, and it’s just a testament to say, ‘Keep pushing. Keep stepping. Don’t throw in the towel,'” Harris said.

Rubye Braye was an attendee at Monday’s lecture. She remembers the time when places were segregated and then became integrated.

“I was one of the first ones to integrate into my middle school and it was horrible,” Braye said. “Every American should be fighting for Democracy as our lives depend on it.”

After the lecture, listeners watched a film called The Red Cape. It’s a documentary explaining how 1898 was the only proven violent overthrow of a government in US history.