The podcast ‘Scene on Radio’ recently explored the 1898 Wilmington massacre. This event was a violent overthrow of a legally elected multi-racial government by a group of white supremacists. The podcast’s co-producers, Michael Betts II M.F.A. ’20 and John Biewen, delve into the history of Wilmington, North Carolina, in the 1890s. Betts describes the city as a place of significant Black influence, which contrasts with the typical image of the post-Reconstruction South.
The podcast details how this city was devastated on November 10, 1898. A white supremacist mob killed Black residents, destroyed a Black-owned newspaper, and forced the ousted leaders into exile. This event, known as the Wilmington massacre, was largely forgotten due to a PR campaign by white supremacist leaders. Betts and Biewen aim to highlight this overlooked part of history and the city’s legacy of Black achievement and political determination.
In an interview, Biewen, the Kenan Institute director of storytelling and public engagement, and Betts, an assistant professor of film studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, discuss the current season of ‘Scene on Radio’. Biewen explains that the season explores themes of white supremacy and American democracy’s shortcomings, topics the podcast has examined for several years.