The Collegian

Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Eric Smith A scene from "Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968," where SC State students outside of Hary Floyd's All Star Bowling Lanes; where they were denied access to the facilities because the owner still practiced segregationist policies

"Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre1968," a film bringing to light one of the bloodiest tragedies of the Civil Rights era after four decades of deliberate denial, jump started last week's Orangeburg Massacre Commemoration Week.

Though few in number, students and faculty all gathered in the IP Stanback Museum and Planetarium to watch the film which brought about a stir of emotions.

This scrupulously researched documentary, finally offers the definitive account of that tragic incident and reveals the environment that allowed it to be buried for so long. It raises disturbing questions about how our country acknowledges its tortured racial past in order to make sense of its challenging present.

The film details the events that led up to the Orangeburg Massacre. What started as a small protest for black students of SC State College and Claflin University so that they could be allowed to bowl, ended in a tragic night, taking the lives of three students, Samuel Hammond, Delano Middleton, and Henry Smith.

The film featured interviews from the survivors including Cleveland Sellers, John Stroman, and Robert Davis which gave them a voice and an opportunity that they never got, to tell what really happened on that horrific night.

Although many students left after the film, many stayed to discuss their thoughts and feelings of the documentary and justice itself.

"It's nothing like seeing the motion picture of what happened. Reading the book was one thing, but seeing it was something totally different," said a student who volunteered to share her feelings of the film. "Watching this film made me sad about not seeing this in history books, and not knowing about this before I came to SC Sate," said another student.

As the conversation went on and thoughts were shared, one professor asked students, "What do you think we can do to bring about justice?" One student answered, on the brink of tears said, "I'm upset at the fact that this happened, but what can I do? How can I go about bringing justice. It hurts that we weren't able to do anything, and eventually justice will prevail."

Continued...

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