Send a text

A city was thriving, a lie took hold, and democracy was overturned. We gather to unpack Wilmington’s Lie and trace how a coordinated white supremacy campaign in 1898 used fear, newspapers, and even pulpits to justify a violent coup—then rewrote the story for generations. Our conversation moves from Reconstruction’s fragile hopes to Fusion-era politics, showing how Black civic participation and modest prosperity were framed as an existential threat to the racial order. We revisit Alex Manly’s editorial, the sensational headlines that followed, and the militias mobilized to remove duly elected leaders, all while national power looked away.

What emerges is a recognizable playbook. Manufactured panic sold as news. Morality weaponized from the pulpit. Voter intimidation dressed up as “law and order.” We name the throughlines to today’s disinformation wars, gerrymandering, and efforts to narrow access to the ballot. Along the way, we talk candidly about how history gets buried, how institutions preserve the winners’ version of events, and why recovering suppressed stories matters for civic health. We also challenge the misuse of scripture to sanctify domination, offering a counter-vision: treat voting as a sacred act and faith as a resource for human dignity, not a shield for power.

Yet this isn’t just a lament. We hold space for hope—especially in younger organizers who are learning, mobilizing, and refusing fatalism. If fear spreads fast, so can clarity. If coups calcify into memory, communities can still break the spell by telling the truth and defending the franchise. Join us as we connect the dots between 1898 and now, and commit to the everyday work that keeps democracy from becoming a museum piece.

If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review with one takeaway you’ll act on before the next election. Your voice—and your vote—matter.

Follow us on Instagram @guilfordparkpresbyterianchurch
Follow us on Facebook @guilfordparkpc
Follow us on TikTok @guilfordparkpreschurch
Website: www.guilfordpark.org