Pender County Courthouse

The Pender County Courthouse has witnessed its fair share of drama over the years, but in the 1970s it gained international attention as the site of the trial of the Wilmington Ten.

The Wilmington Ten were nine young Black men and one white woman (the majority were high school age) who were wrongfully convicted in 1971. At a time of racial unrest, the Wilmington Ten protested the unfair treatment of Black students in the New Hanover schools during desegregation. Black schools were closed, and students were sent to all-white schools where they were harassed.

The Wilmington Ten was sentenced to up to 29 years in prison in a trial that attracted the attention of Amnesty International and other civil rights organizations. In 1978, after public outcry, NC Governor Jim Hunt reduced their sentences, but federal appeals courts overturned the convictions, arguing that the prosecutor violated the Wilmington Ten’s constitutional rights. According to Kenneth Robert Janken, in his book The Wilmington Ten: Violence, Injustice, and the Rise of Black Politics in the 1970s, contributing to the success of the final pardon was because Pender County Courthouse staff discovered evidence they had preserved from the prosecutor’s files.

In 2012, the Wilmington Ten was pardoned by Gov. Bev Perdue. Sadly, by that time four of the ten had passed away.

Located at 100 S Wright St, Burgaw, NC 28425.

Links:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wilmington-Ten

https://youtu.be/fzOEAeJg2U8