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."
Document
This SCETV follow-up special commemorates the 50th anniversary of this tragic event, as survivors, participants and officials share their remembrances and struggle to provide some sense of reckoning...
Video
The discussion between Bonniwell Graham, W. Lloyd Walker, and Johnny A. Jones about the Orangeburg Massacre continues.
Video
The discussion between Bonniwell Graham, W. Lloyd Walker, and Johnny A. Jones about the Orangeburg Massacre continues.
Video
The discussion between Bonniwell Graham, W. Lloyd Walker, and Johnny A. Jones about the Orangeburg Massacre continues.
Video
South Carolina State University alumni Bonniwell Graham, W. Lloyd Walker, and Johnny A. Jones recall where they were on the S.C.S.U. campus when the shooting occurred on February 8, 1968.
Video
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...
Video
The panel talks about the excessive force used by law enforcement, and why the FBI’s training at the time was deemed "flawed."
Video
The survivors, and the panel discuss the pain still presently felt from that night, along with the seeking of closure.
Video
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...
Video
This segment elaborates more on law enforcement’s response the night of the shooting, along with covering some of the conflicting eyewitness reports.
