The Wilmington Ten were a group of nine Black men and one white woman who were wrongfully convicted in 1971 for the arson of a white-owned grocery store during a period of racial tension and civil unrest in Wilmington, North Carolina. The convictions were widely criticized as being politically motivated and racially biased and were overturned in 1980 after a lengthy campaign by civil rights activists and organizations. The case attracted national attention and became a cause célèbre for advocates of racial justice and the anti-war movement. The Wilmington Ten's exoneration was a significant moment in the history of civil rights and social justice in the United States, and it highlighted the ongoing struggle for racial equality and due process under the law.