Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site is hosting a screening and webinar of the award-winning documentary “Wilmington On Fire.” The kick-off event for this program will be an on-site screening of the documentary on Nov 10 at 6:30p.m. Due to limited seating, pre-registration is REQUIRED. Masks are also required. If you would like to view the film at your leisure, it will be available for virtual viewing Nov. 10th-17th. An online webinar featuring the film's director, Christopher Everett and author LeRae Umfleet will be held Nov. 17, 6:30-7:30 p.m. To register for one or all components of this program, go to to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wilmington-on-fire-documentary-screening-tickets-186823021687?keep_tld=1.
This free program is sponsored by the Charles B. Aycock Birthplace Advisory Committee.
The film, directed by Christopher Everett, describes the Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 -- the only successful coup d’état in the U.S. -- and its long-lasting effects on the port city’s African American population. “Wilmington On Fire” features interviews with descendants of Alexander Manly, whose newspaper office was destroyed; Thomas Miller, who was a prominent businessman and property owner in Wilmington and was forced to leave the city; and Isham Quick, who was a coal and wood dealer and was also a board member of the Metropolitan Trust Company in Wilmington.
Wednesday, Nov. 17 from 6:30p.m .to 7:30 p.m., an online conversation about the film will be moderated by Michelle Lanier, director, North Carolina Division of State Historic Sites and Properties. The panelists will be Christopher Everett, director of “Wilmington On Fire” and LeRae Umfleet, author of the book “A Day of Blood: The 1898 Wilmington Race Riot.”