Joe Wright; Civil Rights ‘Wilmington 10’ Defendant

Joe Wright, 37, one of the civil rights workers known as the “Wilmington 10” who were tried for violent acts during protests against racial injustice in Wilmington, N.C., schools. Wright was convicted of firebombing a grocery store in 1971 and shooting at people who tried to extinguish the fire. He served 2 1/2 years in prison before he was paroled June 1, 1978. The conviction was later overturned, and his criminal record was cleared last year. Wright had been producing a morning radio talk show called “Crossroads.” In Wilmington on Wednesday of the chronic disease sarcoidosis.