Throughout history, women have struggled to secure their human and civil rights. However, race has been a powerful factor in dividing women in their fight for equality. In the United States, white women have used their roles and responsibilities to perpetuate racism. This Learning Lab collection will examine how the stereotype of white women’s sexual vulnerability was weaponized in Wilmington, North Carolina’s election of 1898. By accusing Black men of sexual depravity, a southern white “feminist” provided fuel for a white supremacist coup d’état.

The second half of the collection provides a survey of how white women have continued to use their traditional roles to protect institutional racism since the Wilmington massacre in 1898. Their participation in organizations like the United Daughters of the Confederacy, their protests against the integration of schools, and their continued willingness to use their privilege at the expense of African Americans highlights a pattern of racist actions. By studying white women’s role in propping up institutional racism, we can recognize harmful actions and work to prevent them in the future.

This Learning Lab collection was created by Kerry Roncallo in the summer 2021 Smithsonian Affiliate Digital Learning and Engagement Internship, in partnership with Emerson Collective and Cape Fear Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate. #SAintern #RaceAndSocialJustice #WomensHistory