Democratic Party of North Carolina
State Executive Committee Unanimously Passes Resolution Apologizing for Role in 1898 Wilmington Race Riots  

Submitted by NCDP on Sun, 01/21/2007 - 3:10 pm. Press Releases  -  located at:  http://www.ncdp.org/node/1546
 
Elon, NC—Today, the North Carolina Democratic Party State Executive Committee unanimously passed a resolution acknowledging the Democratic Party of 1898’s role in the bloody massacre in Wilmington in which dozens of African Americans were killed. The resolution apologized to those affected by the riots and their repercussions and renounces these actions. The Committee, comprised of more than 700 Democratic Party leaders and activists from all 100 counties, is the governing body of the Party.
 
“Sometimes, moving forward requires a sober look at the past. I am pleased that the State Executive Committee considered and unanimously passed this resolution,” said North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Jerry Meek. “The Democratic Party of 2007—and of the last half century—isn’t the same Party that it was in 1898. This resolution is important because it renounces past actions of the Democratic Party and celebrates the Party of today.”
 
The resolution reads:
 
WHEREAS, One of the most indelible events in North Carolina and American history occurred on November 17, 1898, when the city of Wilmington erupted in a bloody riot in which dozens of African Americans – including businessmen, community leaders, journalists, and elected officials – were murdered and banished from the city along with many of their white allies; and
 
WHEREAS, Public knowledge and historical memory of this event was obscure until the North Carolina General Assembly, led by Representative Thomas E. Wright and the late Senator Luther Jordan, both Democrats, established the Wilmington Race Riot Commission in 2000 to develop a historical record of the event and to assess the economic impact of the riot on African Americans in Wilmington and across the Eastern region and state; and
 
WHEREAS, The Commission, chaired by Representative Wright and Democratic Senator Julia Boseman, both of Wilmington, oversaw a formal investigation of the events of 1898 and approved a 464-page report, detailing the history of the riot and the events that precipitated it; and
 
WHEREAS, The Commission’s report concluded that past leaders of the North Carolina Democratic Party were directly responsible for and participants in the violence of November 17, 1898; and
 
WHEREAS, The report also concluded that the North Carolina Democratic Party engineered and executed a state-wide white supremacy campaign in order to win the 1900 elections that was viscous, polarizing, and defamatory toward African Americans and that encouraged racial violence; and
 
WHEREAS, The effects of that campaign and the Wilmington Riots lasted far beyond 1898, paving the way for legislation that disenfranchised African American and poor white citizens, for lynching and violence against black citizens, and for Jim Crow segregation until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s; and
 
WHEREAS, The North Carolina Democratic Party embraces the Commission’s report as a chronicle of an important part of State history, but it is shocked to learn the full extent of past party leaders’ involvement in the Wilmington Riot of 1898 as these deplorable actions contradict the spirit, philosophy, platform, and policies of today’s North Carolina Democratic Party; now, therefore, be it
 
RESOLVED, That the North Carolina Democratic Party both acknowledges and renounces the actions of past Party leaders involved in the events of 1898 and those actions’ impact on the State of North Carolina and the United States of America; and
 
RESOLVED, That the North Carolina Democratic Party apologizes to those who were affected by the actions – and their repercussions – of past party leaders; and
 
RESOLVED, That the North Carolina Democratic Party celebrates its role in making the political process more inclusive for African Americans in the 20th Century and honors the actions of each modern Democratic President and Governor, all of whom made significant strides toward desegregation; and
 
RESOLVED, That the North Carolina Democratic Party is proud of all the Democratic African Americans elected and appointed to governmental posts in North Carolina; and
 
RESOLVED, That the Party is proud that all 28 members of the General Assembly’s Legislative Black Caucus are Democrats; and
 
RESOLVED, That the Party is proud of new Democratic leaders who are continuing the tradition of pluralism in North Carolina government, including black officials elected to State-wide or legislative office in November 2006; and
 
RESOLVED, That the Party will aggressively continue its efforts to ensure diversity in the Democratic ticket by establishing a training program for minority and women candidates for office and their campaign managers and hosting an annual summit of minority elected officials who are members of the Party; and be it further
 
RESOLVED, That the North Carolina Democratic Party reaffirms its commitment to creating jobs, improving education, investing in health care, defending the security, protecting the environment, and ensuring full political participation for all North Carolinians, regardless of race, sex, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the officers of the North Carolina Democratic Party will within seven (7) days send a copy of this resolution to the following:
 
• The City of Wilmington, by and through its mayor and council;
• New Hanover County, by and through its board of commissioners;
• Members of the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission;
• Democratic members of the North Carolina General Assembly;
• Democratic members of the North Carolina Congressional Delegation;
• North Carolina Human Relations Commission; and
• State-wide media.