Approximately 150 protesters had demonstrated against racial segregation at the All-Star Bowling Alley on several occasions prior to the Orangeburg Massacre. On the evening of February 8, 1968, South Carolina State University (SCSU) students started a bonfire on the front of campus, which is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina. As police and firefighters attempted to put out the fire, officer David Shealy was injured by a thrown object. South Carolina Highway Patrol officers fired shots at the protestors.
Three of the protestors, African American males, were killed and twenty-eight other protesters were injured. The three men killed included two SCSU students Samuel Hammond (18), Henry Smith (18), and Delano Middleton (17), a student at the local Wilkinson High School.
At a press conference the following day, Governor Robert E. McNair said the event was "...one of the saddest days in the history of South Carolina."
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Another one of the students who was present at the night of the shooting was Emma McCain. Dr. McCain was beaten by police officers that night, and now she offers her recollections of that tragic night...
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Dr. Cleveland Sellers, and the panelists go more in depth about the inconsistencies with recollections and eyewitness reports from the night of the incident.
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In this segment, the panelists discuss Cleveland Sellers’ role in the incident. Sellers was the only “agitator” tried and convicted from what happened the night of the shooting. Dr. Sellers also joins...
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This segment elaborates more on law enforcement’s response the night of the shooting, along with covering some of the conflicting eyewitness reports.
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Bonniwell Graham, W. Lloyd Walker, and Johnny A. Jones were students at S.C. State College, and they share their experiences during the night of the shooting, along with some of the injuries sustained...
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The survivors, and the panel discuss the pain still presently felt from that night, along with the seeking of closure.
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“S” is for Sellers, Cleveland Louis, Jr. [b. 1944]. Civil rights activist. Educator. Sellers attended Howard University where he met several student activists, including Stokely Carmichael—later...
Lesson
Students will explore information regarding the Orangeburg Massacre and research other Civil Rights Era movements as they focus on the Essential Question. See below.
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Henry Smith, a victim of Orangeburg Massacre. Photo courtesy of Cecil Williams.
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In 1968, Sellers was then a student at Harvard University. He was visiting Orangeburg as a recruiter for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). On the night of February eighth, he...
