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City commission presents African-American history report, highlights education and partnerships
Summary
Evelyn Ager, chair of Wilmington’s Commission on African‑American History, presented the commission’s programs — including Living Legends for adults and youth — and described partnerships with museums, UNCW, the county and NAACP to document and teach local Black history.
Evelyn Ager, chair of the City of Wilmington Commission on African‑American History, presented the commission’s annual report and outlined programs aimed at recognizing and educating the public about the city’s Black history.
Ager said the commission was established on December 5, 1989, and earlier this century the council reduced membership from 15 to nine because of quorum challenges. She described two signature efforts: a Living Legends program honoring accomplished local leaders and a youth Living Legends program for students achieving notable accomplishments. She said the commission works with schools, churches, the Boys & Girls Clubs, the Cameron Art Museum, the Cape Fear Museum, the public library and UNCW, and partners with New Hanover County and the local NAACP to commemorate the 1898 tragedy.
Ager also described collaboration with the city’s historic‑preservation planners on a heritage brochure and the state’s African‑American Heritage Commission on the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail and road namings. “These are only a few of the events and programming that our commission has been tasked to do,” she said, adding that the commission remains small but committed to educating residents, visitors and broader audiences.
Council members applauded the presentation. The commission’s work, the report argued, aims to make essential local history more accessible and to expand recognition of Wilmington’s African‑American legacy.
