RACE

The Art of the Backlash

From the Wilmington Massacre of 1898 to the present day, America’s legacy of vigilantism against Blacks — as well as their White allies — is alive and well

Photos of the aftermath of the 1898 Wilmington, North Carolina coup and massacre. (1) Co-instigator Alfred M. Waddell, who promised before the coup to ‘choke the current of the Cape Fear River’ with black bodies; after the coup, he had himself installed as mayor; (2) Manhattan Park, where a white mob shot a group of Black Wilmingtonians; (3) Fourth and Harnett Streets in Wilmington, where first Black men fell; (4) E.G. Parmalee, who took over as chief of police after the coup; (5) Vigilantes stand outside the wrecked remains of the black ‘Daily Record’ newspaper building. History.com/Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

When I researched an article on the Wilmington Coup of 1898 earlier this year, several things struck me about this little-known…