Bringing History, Family, Culture and Celebration together
1898 Family Reunion & Healing Festival
Presented by WilmingtoNColor and Coming to the Table — Wilmington, NC, the 1898 Family Reunion & Healing Festival will take place November 7 from 1–5 p.m. at Chowtown in Wilmington, North Carolina. This intergenerational gathering will bring history, family, culture, reflection, and celebration together in one welcoming community experience.
The festival was created to reconnect descendants of the people who lived, worked, worshiped, owned businesses, raised families, and built a community in Wilmington before and during the 1898 Massacre and Coup. It also seeks to create space for families connected to the victims, survivors, people who were displaced, and perpetrators of the violence to come together around historical truth, shared humanity, reconciliation, and healing. Descendants do not inherit guilt, but all of us can play a role in understanding the past and shaping a more honest and connected future.
We especially welcome people who may be discovering a family connection to 1898 for the first time and those willing to listen, learn, and participate respectfully with care.
The story of 1898 is often centered on the violence itself. This event will also honor the thriving Black community that existed before the coup the educators, entrepreneurs, elected officials, tradespeople, faith leaders, families, and institutions that helped make Wilmington one of the South’s most prominent Black communities. By remembering the people behind the history, the festival will help attendees understand what was lost, what survived, and what descendants continue to carry forward today.
Guests will be invited to explore history exhibits and visit genealogist and historian stations where they can learn more about Wilmington families, neighborhoods, businesses, and community connections. Prayer circles and drum circles will offer opportunities for reflection, remembrance, spiritual grounding, and collective healing. The festival will also include food trucks, vendors, music, games, bounce houses, and additional family-friendly activities, creating an environment where people of all ages can learn, connect, and enjoy the day together.
The 1898 Family Reunion & Healing Festival is not intended to erase hard truths or force reconciliation. Its purpose is to make room for honest history while building relationships across families, generations, and communities. We believe that understanding where we come from can help us better understand one another, and that remembering together can become a meaningful step toward healing together.
WilmingtoNColor and Coming to the Table- Wilmington, NC chapter are seeking media partners, vendors, historians, genealogists, cultural organizations, faith communities, educators, artists, sponsors, volunteers, descendants, and other collaborators who believe in the power of history and community connection. Partners can support the festival by sharing its story, providing resources, creating educational experiences, participating as vendors, sponsoring activities, helping identify descendants, or contributing their expertise.
This event is more than a remembrance ceremony and more than a festival. It is a family reunion for a community whose connections were disrupted but never completely erased. On November 7, we will gather at Chowtown to remember the past, reconnect families, honor resilience, and create space for Wilmington to move toward healing together.