Friday, February 20, 2009

In honor of Black History Month, the Upperman African American Cultural Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington is sponsoring a film and panel discussion on the "Wilmington Ten" at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 25, at Lumina Theater in the Fisher Student Center.

The event is free and open to the public.

The Wilmington Ten: A Story Retold, directed and produced by UNCW film studies graduates Lauryn Colatuno, Alex Lepp and Ewart De Visser, will be shown at the event. A sensitive and highly skilled piece of investigative documentary work, the film screened at Wilmington's 10th annual Cucalorus Film Festival in March 2004. Depicting events surrounding the 1971 fire-bombing of Mike's Grocery, The Wilmington Ten addresses lingering doubts about the defendants' guilt, the possibility that racism contributed to their convictions and the effect the trial had on the defendants, their families and the community.

The event will also feature a brief clip of a documentary in development, titled The Wilmington Ten: Justice Denied, Lives Interrupted. This local production is being co-produced by film industry veteran Francine DeCoursey and two of the Wilmington Ten, Willie Earl Vereen and Connie Tindall. The co-producers will host a panel discussion following the screenings.

In February of 1971, following the integration of the New Hanover County Schools, a group of African-American student leaders presented a list of grievances to the Board of Education, requesting protection from harassment, fair treatment in school, sports and social activities, and development of a black studies program. With no support forthcoming, they staged a peaceful, non-violent boycott, setting up classes in nearby Gregory Congregational Church, an all-black church with a white minister.

After reports that white vigilantes were shooting at the church, the United Church of Christ sent Rev. Ben Chavis to Wilmington to organize the students and assist their efforts. Soon, violence broke out, a grocery store was firebombed and two people were killed.

Now known as the Wilmington Ten, these student leaders were accused of conspiracy and arson, arrested, tried and sentenced to 15-24 years each in a federal prison, despite a lack of substantial evidence. Amnesty International got involved, declared the Wilmington 10 "political prisoners," and eventually, after serving five to eight years each in a maximum security prison, the Wilmington Ten were released.

Media contact:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu