Teaching the Wilmington Riots of 1898

Despite the budget crisis, at least one matter of historical note has gained legislative attention. North Carolina state Senator Susan Boseman (D-New Hanover) has submitted a bill to require the state Department of Public Instruction to develop curriculum materials and organize workshops to teach teachers about the events and legacy of the Wilmington riots of 1898.

I won't recount the sad tale of the riots here. The short version: In 1898, Democrats used the violent politics of white supremacy to overthrow an interracial coalition of Populists and Republicans. Many died, and soon thereafter African Americans had the right to vote effectively stripped from them in North Carolina. It is a heinous event that continues to cast political and historical shadows over North Carolina.

Although I question the use of legislative power to determine what faculty members teach, I welcome this attention to this period in the state's experience. If we give teachers better resources, perhaps they can better teach their students about the diverse past of the place where they live. I, for one, would like to see colleges and universities do more of this sort of thing. We shouldn't need a law to develop these types of programs. I do know that some institutions do things like this, but we can do a great deal more. I might even make some suggestions here.

Of course, this is not the first effort by state government to give attention to the awful events of 1898. In 2006, the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission, a group authorized by the legislature whose work was facilitated by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, completed its work. This link to the commission website contains a tremendous amount of information on the riots and their significance to the state and the nation.

You can view Boseman's bill here.