The Wilmington Ten: Violence, Injustice, and the Rise of Black Politics in the 1970s

by Kenneth Robert Janken

In February 1971, racial tension surrounding school desegregation in Wilmington, North Carolina, culminated in four days of violence and skirmishes 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, and after several witnesses admitted to perjury, a federal appeals court, also citing prosecutorial misconduct, overturned the convictions in 1980. Kenneth Janken narrates 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. Grounded in extensive interviews, newly declassified government documents, and archival research, this book thoroughly examines the 1971 events and the subsequent movement for justice that strongly influenced the wider African American freedom struggle.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 4, 2016

Reviews

[Janell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit that I found the subject quite fascinating and the author's knowledge of it comprehensive. However, it was written in a very dry, academic style that I really struggled with. I did learn quite a bit from reading this book. The subject was sufficiently interesting that I finished the book, but it wasn't easy. If you love academic prose, have an interest in the civil rights issues and groups of the 1970s, especially in North Carolina, and if you have an affinity for lots of acronyms, then this is just the book for you!

[Jack Heller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook. This recounts a major occasion of racist judicial corruption that spanned most of the 1970s. The writer intentionally limits himself to a facts-of-the-case approach; he does not interview the participants, relying instead on contemporary documentation. There can be some merit to this approach because, as the writer tells it, he wants to leave the personal stories for the principals themselves to tell. Regardless, this is a case worth knowing about. Such miscarriages continue to this day.

[Barbara Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important book about a controversial event that sheds much light on how NC politics and society operate. The author carefully researched the book using a wide variety of sources, yet some key participants did not cooperate fully with him. It seems to be the most comprehensive study of the Wilmington Ten to date, but it may be surpassed at some point, perhaps decades down the road, if more primary sources come to light. Still, the author did the best possible job he could in teasing detail from the materials available to him and creating a uniting narrative. I prefer books like this over the countless books about Civil War military history.

[Casey Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wilmington Ten is a book about the titular court case and the story of the fight to free the ten innocent political prisoners. In 1971 a group of ten black activists were convicted for allegedly taking part in an arson following a protest against treatment of black students at the local high school a year prior. Evidence soon emerged that the local police department, justice department, and FBI worked together to forge evidence and procure fake testimony against the Wilmington Ten, as a way to silence them. This lead to what would eventually become an international movement to free them, and after several years Amnesty International took up the cause. In the end it took near a decade to finally overturn the convictions the ten, with several of those members having served that entire time in prison. It was only in 2012 that the six surviving members were finally pardoned.

Kenneth Janken does an excellent job making this a readable and thoughtful work. Both in the retelling of the story, and the analysis of what could have been done differently, I really enjoyed this book and got alot out of it.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puts the Wilmington 10 fully in context. I wish there was a timeline and/or quick sketches of the involved people on top of the amazing chapters, it was a little hard to keep everything in my mind. But very informative and researched.