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Alex Manly and the 1898 Wilmington Massacre

The group had a presentation by Kieran Haile which was about a 1898 Massacre and Coup in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Mr. Halle is descended from individuals impacted by the event and his presentation centered on his research and discoveries regarding this largely unknown historical event.

Mr. Halle grew up in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. He is a musician and multimedia producer. While growing up, he would hear stories from his uncles about one of his ancestors, Alex Manly of Wilmington, North Carolina.  Alex Manley was Mr. Haile's great, great grandfather.  He learned that Alex Manly founded and was editor of The Daily Record. This was one of the first newspapers owned by an African American.

Mr. Haile shared information about 1898 Wilmington, North Carolina indicating that it was considered a progressive city for its time. The Daily Record was a progressive newspaper and supported the community in integration efforts. This included opinion pieces supporting specific community efforts against common racist views and stereotypes.

These efforts were not well received by Rebecca Latimer Felton, the wife of a senator.  She called for lynching all black men in order to protect the white female population of Wilmington. The danger to white females presented by the presence of black males was a common racist trope of the time.

A group of white males formed "The Secret Nine" to advance planning to take back the local governing body which was integrated.  These efforts began with cartoons and then more serious writings. Finally, a white man, Albert Walden, gave an address at Wilmington City Hall calling for the killing of African Americans and the seizure of the City of Wilmington.  The address led to a coup of city government. The integrated City Council members were removed and an all white unelected City Council was installed. 

Alex Manly was able to escape Wilmington with his family. The family moved to Washington DC for a short period and then moved on to Philadelphia.

After the seizure of the City Council, violence followed with buildings burned and records destroyed. The offices of The Daily Record was among the buildings burned.  The national press covered the coup with stories on the front page of papers in San Francisco and other large cities.  In spite of the illegality of the actions taken in Wilmington, the federal government refused to intervene.

Mr. Haile then explained some of the processes he employed to reveal this historical event and his family connection to it. He began interviewing family members, in particular his uncles and grandfather, Alan Haile, USAF. He then searched the newspaper archives and public records.  Mr. Haile felt his family involvement put a human face on a very unsettling moment in national history.

The Wilmington Coup has been made into a documentary as part of the American Experience series.

The documentary is titled "American Coup: Wilmington, 1898". It is available on YouTube. A book published in 2006, "A Day of Blood" uses the official investigation report to outline the events of the day. He also acknowledged Dr. Kim Cook, a Restorative Justice Scholar at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, who assisted in his research.

Mr. Haile was asked at the conclusion of the presentation how people in Wilmington feel about the historical event and they usually say that "these events took place so long ago, how could they matter?” Mr. Haile argues that “we have an obligation to speak up about it".

He also reveals some personal health issues that he had that were due to the history that took place so long ago.

It also matters because the racism behind the massacre is widespread throughout the entire country. In another 1619 presentation, Carol McGrath, resident of Glendale, California, discovered that Glendale had long been a “sundowned town” and the regulations were still on the books in the city. In her presentation, Glendale was a Sundown Town Before Carol, she explains how her surprising discovery and actions led to an official apology and a removal of the regulations. History matters.

There were a number of questions that brought up additional perspectives on the whole event. This was one of our more engaging and interesting presentations and well worth viewing. The conservation can be heard on the recording of the meeting, The 1898 Wilmington Massacre and Alex Manly Family.

The next meeting will be August 15, 2025 at 12:00PM PST.