The Wilmington Ten were a group of civil rights activists who were wrongly convicted in connection with a 1971 protest in Wilmington, North Carolina. The group included nine Black men and one white woman, Anne Sheppard, who were charged with a variety of crimes related to their participation in protests against racial segregation and discrimination in the city.

The Wilmington Ten were convicted in a highly controversial trial that was marred by allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, including the withholding of evidence that pointed to their innocence. The case became a cause célèbre in the civil rights movement, with activists and organizations across the country calling for the release of the group.

In 1978, amidst mounting pressure and evidence of misconduct, the convictions of the Wilmington Ten were overturned by a federal appeals court. The case is seen as a significant example of injustice in the criminal justice system and a reminder of the lengths to which authorities would go to suppress dissent during the civil rights era. The Wilmington Ten's struggle for justice and their eventual exoneration are important chapters in Black history that highlight the ongoing fight for racial equality in America.