WILMINGTON, N.C.
New Hanover County’s district attorney will follow through on his promise to address race relations when a class on Wilmington’s history gets under way this fall.
“The History of Wilmington in Black and White” will be taught Thursday evenings from Sept. 18 to Oct. 23 at Williston Middle School, the Star-News of Wilmington reported. The class will cost $75.
District Attorney Ben David promised to address race relations after 23-year-old Phillipe McIver was killed in April 2007 after he shot at police. Tensions mounted in the Black community after the shooting, which the State Bureau of Investigation ruled was justified.
But instead of addressing race relations when tensions were high, David said he wanted to tackle the issue when time had passed.
People only have to look at the past to understand the community’s anger now, he said.
“This is not a Black issue or a White issue or a Hispanic issue, for that matter,” he said. “It’s a human issue.”
