The Wilmington Ten were a group of nine young African American men and one white woman who were wrongfully convicted in 1972 for arson and conspiracy during a period of civil rights and racial tensions in Wilmington, North Carolina. The group was involved in protests against segregation and racial injustice in the city.

The convictions of the Wilmington Ten were widely criticized as being racially motivated and based on flawed evidence. Their case became a cause célèbre for civil rights activists and supporters worldwide, who campaigned for their release.

In 1980, after years of appeals and public pressure, the convictions of the Wilmington Ten were overturned by a federal appeals court due to prosecutorial misconduct and other irregularities in their trial. The Wilmington Ten case highlighted the injustices faced by African Americans and the broader struggle for civil rights and racial equality in the United States.