Researching the Greensboro Massacre at Wilson Library: Home

This guide presents information about historical documentation of the 1979 Greensboro Massacre, with a focus on the archival collections of Wilson Special Collections Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This guide also provides information about further available resources to learn more about the Greensboro Massacre and its legal, social, and political aftermath. 

The Greensboro Massacre occurred on the morning of November 3rd, 1979, when a caravan of Klansmen and Neo-Nazis ambushed a crowd of around 150 anti-Klan demonstrators who had gathered at Morningside Homes, a majority-Black housing development in Greensboro, North Carolina. Demonstrators had convened for an anti-Klan march and conference, which was to be held that afternoon at a nearby community center. Four people were shot and killed at the site of the march, and the fifth victim died in the hospital two days later from injuries sustained during the attack. Lengthy litigations followed this event, which came to be known as the Greensboro Massacre.

Subjects covered by this guide:

• Timeline of the Greensboro Massacre and Key Organizations — This page lays out a timeline of events leading up to the deadly confrontation on November 3rd, 1979, and provides an overview of the major organizations and figures involved.
• History of the Greensboro Civil Rights Fund — This page provides an introduction to the Greensboro Civil Rights Fund, and the various trials and legal cases that were mounted by survivors of the massacre. The Greensboro Civil Rights Fund Records (Collection 04630) is the largest collection of primary-source documentation of the 1979 Greensboro Massacre in Wilson Library. 
• Archival Sources in Wilson Library — This page compiles information about several archival collections in Wilson Library that contain primary-source records relevant to the history of the Greensboro Massacre.
• Published Sources — This page compiles a selection of secondary sources related to the Greensboro Massacre and the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including monographs, articles, theses, and audiovisual records.
• Additional Resources — This page provides information about other archival collections with materials related to the Greensboro Massacre outside of Wilson Library.
• Registering and Requesting Materials — This page provides information about the process of requesting materials and doing research with the collections of Wilson Special Collections Library at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Poster for 3 November 1979 Rally in the Greensboro Civil Rights Fund Papers #4630, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Note: This guide specifically refers to the events of November 3rd, 1979, as the Greensboro Massacre. Though several different names have been used to refer to this event over the years, including the Greensboro Shootout and the Klan-Nazi Attack, this guide uses the term "massacre" to reflect the fact that this violence occurred after a heavily-armed caravan of Klansmen and Neo-Nazis ambushed demonstrators at the site of Morningside Homes. For some, this term remains controversial, as seen in debates within the Greensboro City Council regarding language used in the historical marker erected in 2015. See Published sources for more information about this term and its usage over the years.