House Acknowledges Race Riot

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina House officially recognized a dark moment in the state’s past on Thursday.

Lawmakers gave final approval to acknowledge the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot, calling it a “conspiracy that used intimidation and force to replace a duly elected local government.”

A report from the Wilmington Race Riot Commission detailed the white supremacy movement in the late 1800s that impacted Wilmington, as well as cities statewide.

The same movement paved the way for legislation that disenfranchised African-Americans and poor white citizens for decades to come.

In Thursday’s official acknowledgment, the House agreed that state government failed at all levels to protect the citizens of North Carolina during the race riot and ensuing years.