Students are not expected to know the story behind every building owned by UNCW, but they should know the origins of the home where their Chancellor resides. The Chancellor’s home, also known as the Kenan House, has a history that is especially vital to learn during Black History Month. For the students and faculty who don’t know it, it’s time to go to school.

On Nov. 10, 1898, a crowd of roughly 2,000 members of the then Democratic party invaded the second floor of Free Love Hall, the building that contained The Daily Record, and set it on fire. The attackers swarmed the rest of the city, killing what some reports indicate to be 60-300 victims.

A new roadside historical plaque that has been in the works for almost two years was finally unveiled on Market Street between 4th and 5th streets on Friday, Nov. 8. It commemorates the massacre in...