New PBS documentary to cover the 1898 Wilmington coup

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A new PBS documentary will dive into the history of the deadly 1898 Wilmington Massacre and Coup d’état.

“American Coup: Wilmington 1898″ will premier at Thalian Hall on November 7, before hitting the airwaves on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 9 p.m.

You can watch the trailer here.

The screening at Thalian Hall is sold out, but those who would like to watch on the 12th can do so online here, on the PBS app or through their television provider.

“American Coup: Wilmington 1898 tells the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city in 1898—the only successful coup d’état in the history of the U.S. White supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington’s democratically elected, multiracial government. The story of these harrowing events was suppressed for several decades until scholars as well as descendants of the perpetrators and victims began to investigate,” the PBS release states.

“American Coup: Wilmington 1898″ will stream for free for the three years following its premier.

The documentary was directed by Brad Lichtenstein (”When Claude Got Shot”) and Yoruba Richen (”The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks”).