SC State University will mark the 42nd anniversary of the Orangeburg Massacre with a weeklong schedule of events starting Feb. 1, including a play that tells the story of those who protested and died.

“Taking a Stand” is said to be the first live depiction of the fateful events that occurred leading up to the killings near the Orangeburg, S.C., campus on Feb. 8, 1968.

According to official accounts, state police that day opened fire on a group of unarmed students after they had picketed a segregated bowling alley in the city. Three students were killed and 28 others were injured.

The play comes one year after the premiere of the documentary, “Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968.”

Calhoun Cornwell, a senior business management major and Orangeburg native, wrote and directed the play. He said he was inspired after seeing the documentary.

“It was very emotional to sit down and write the play,” he said in a statement. “I often times went back and forth and changed many things along the way. I want people to see and feel the emotions that were experienced by the students and their families during that time.”

Those who died were: Delano H. Middleton, 17; Samuel Hammond Jr., 18; and Henry Smith, 19.

Middleton’s great-nephew, Zachary Delano Middleton, is now SC State’s student government president and was instrumental in planning the week of activities.
 

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