Our work began with attempting to undo an act of historical erasure. By recruiting students from multiple schools to work as research assistants, we led a class to uncover and preserve lost or forgotten copies of the The Wilmington Daily Record, the African-American newspaper destroyed at the onset of the 1898 Wilmington Massacre. Our students located multiple copies, transcribed, and digitized them. The voices that the mob sought to silence are readable today by anyone with an internet connection.
We also produce arts and cultural events, including original musical productions "When the Battle’s Over" and "Lost Love Song," with Rhiannon Giddens, Regina Carter, Clyde Edgerton, Christa Faison, the Williston Alumni Choir, and others.
The work is multi-faceted and ongoing. Please consider making a donation.
Read about our Projects in the News via the links below:
The Daily Record Recovery Project
"Students help bring new light to the Wilmington riots of 1898," DigitalNC.org, August 7, 2017.
"Newly Accessible Issues of Alex Manly's The Daily Record," WHQR, November 8, 2018.
"CoastLine: The 120th Anniversary of Wilmington's 1898 Coup," WHQR, November 7, 2018.
"The Third Person Project: In Search of Wilmington's Buried Past," O Henry, October, 2019.
Joshua Halsey Grave Marker Project
"Searching for the Descendants of Racial Terrorism" The New Yorker, October 11, 2021.
"N. C. Black Man Killed in Race Massacre Receives A Funeral 123 Years Later," BET, November 8, 2021.
"Funeral Held for Black Man Murdered 123 Years Ago," NEW YORK POST, November 8, 2021.
"Locating graves from 1898 Wilmington Massacre," Spectrum News, November 5, 2021.
"Great grandchildren of 1898 victim react to discovery of Joshua Halsey’s gravesite" WECT, October 13, 2021.
"Grave of 1898 victim discovered, funeral planned 123 years later," WECT, October 12, 2021.
"NY Times Magazine writer teaches youth about Wilmington's racial background," WECT, February 22, 2019.
"'Listen to the blood': Funeral Commemorates Victim of Wilmington Massacre 123 years later," The Star News, November 6, 2021.
Musical Programs
"Lumina Festival's "Lost Love Song" unearth's forgotten tune with Wilmington ties," The Star News, July 12, 2019.
"Rhiannon Giddens, Tar Heel of the Year finalist, uses music to enlighten and preserve past," News & Observer, December 26, 2018.
"Cucalorus Festival illuminates shadows of history," The Star News, November 15, 2018.
"Rhiannon Giddens unearths "Songs of 1898" at Cucalorus Festival," The Star News, November 2, 2018.
Social justice research performance African American History Newspaper Journalism Archive Preservation Daily Record Wilmington North Carolina 1898 Coup Massacre Black Lives Matter John Jeremiah Sullivan