Orangeburg Massacre 54 Years Later
I’ve written two pages about the Orangeburg Massacre, an event that pre-dated Kent State, but which has been mostly overlooked by national news. (Hmmm, wonder why—could it be the “content of their character?”)
littlegreenfootballs.com
littlegreenfootballs.com
Just as a refresher:
Three men were killed and dozens wounded when police opened fire on a group of college students in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on Feb. 8, 1968. The event, which became known as the Orangeburg Massacre, happened four years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act supposedly abolished Jim Crow laws and ended discrimination by race in public places. The students had been holding peaceful protests for a few days and staging walk-ins at the All Star Bowling Lane, a bowling alley that remained segregated. Protests against the shooting ensued, although no one was ultimately charged for the deaths. It remains well known in Orangeburg, where it’s commemorated yearly, but is lesser known than other acts of violence during the civil rights movement in the South.
buzzfeednews.com
Today marks the 54th anniversary of this heinous event, and there are a few rays of light in commemoration.
South Carolina State University will dedicate a monument Tuesday to the three men who were shot and killed during a 1968 incident that has come to be known as the Orangeburg Massacre…Conyers said SC State has “a sacred duty to further the message” as the nation continues working toward “social justice for all Americans 54 years later.”
“This year’s commemoration is especially important, as we are permanently enshrining the faces of Henry Smith, Samuel Hammond and Delano Middleton on our campus in honor of their ultimate sacrifices,” he said.
The keynote speaker for the event will be noted civil rights activist, educator and Orangeburg Massacre survivor Dr. Cleveland Sellers Jr. (Bakari’s father)
Sellers, who was wounded in the melee, was the only person convicted of a crime from the events leading up to and including the massacre. Nine state patrolmen charged with using excessive force by the federal government were acquitted.
live5news.com
Also:
ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — Big plans are being realized for a once-segregated bowling alley that stands dark and dusty 54 years after state troopers fired into a crowd of Black students in the killings now known as the “Orangeburg Massacre.”
After years of neglect, the National Park Service is helping a non-profit group renovate the All-Star Bowling Lanes, remaking it into a fully-functional bowling alley with a civil rights theme…
A board of community members, survivors of the shooting and activists of the civil rights era are providing input to shape the project. In their vision, the lanes are lit up, the lunch counter is bustling and every time someone bowls a spare or a strike, a screen above the lane supplies a fact about civil rights history. A digital display on the wall will name visitors who’ve made a commitment to seeking racial justice.