PBS‘ upcoming documentary American Coup: Wilmington 1898 connects the power of white media to further fear and violence toward Black Americans in this exclusive clip.
In the clip below, journalists and experts talk about the part white newspapers, including The New York Times and Collier’s Weekly, played in stoking racist fears, including the fear of Black rule. As you’ll hear in the clip, a lot of the fears regurgitated in these newspaper articles still crop up in society today, albeit under different names and guises. Sometimes, though, those fears aren’t even as viewed today as you might expect.
Written, directed and produced by Brad Lichtenstein and Yoruba Richen, American Coup: Wilmington 1898 colors in one of the gaps of history by relating the story of a racial massacre and only U.S. coup in history. According to the official description:
American Coup: Wilmington 1898 tells the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city in 1898 — the only coup d’état in the history of the US. Stoking fears of “Negro Rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington’s democratically-elected, multi-racial government. Black residents were murdered and thousands were banished. The story of what happened in Wilmington was suppressed for decades until descendants and scholars began to investigate. Today, many of those descendants — Black and white — seek the truth about this intentionally buried history.
Cameo George and Rachel Raney serve as executive producers, with Artemis Fannin as producer. The film is produced by 371 Productions in association with PBS North Carolina.
American Coup: Wilmington 1898 premieres Nov. 12 at 9/8c on American Experience on PBS, with streaming on PBS.org and the PBS app.
Watch the clip below:
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