The Wilmington Ten were a group of nine black men and one white woman who were wrongly convicted in connection with a racially charged incident in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1971. The Ten were activists who were involved in protesting racial segregation and discrimination in the city at the time.

The incident that led to their arrest was a confrontation between black students and local law enforcement that escalated into violence. The Wilmington Ten were accused of arson and conspiracy during the unrest. Many observers believed that the arrests and subsequent trial were politically motivated, aimed at silencing the group's activism.

The Ten were convicted in a highly controversial trial that was marred by prosecutorial misconduct, withheld evidence, and coerced testimony. The case drew widespread attention and condemnation from civil rights organizations and activists who believed that the Ten were being persecuted for their activism.

After a long legal battle and public outcry, the convictions of the Wilmington Ten were overturned in 1980, and they were released from prison. The case of the Wilmington Ten became a symbol of the systemic racism and injustices faced by black activists in the United States during the civil rights era. The Ten's struggle for justice and their eventual exoneration is an important chapter in Black history that highlights the ongoing fight for racial equality and justice.