www.thescsucollegian.com OUR 96th YEAR
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2010
ISSUE 3
Too Few Students Gather for Progress
Photos by Eric Smith/The Collegian SGA President addressing SC State students and members of the community in front of Orangeburg City Hall. The crowd participated in the “March for progress” that began on SC State’s campus.
Photo by Eric Smith/The Collegian Students walking down Russell St. towards City Hall
BY ERIC SMITH STAFF WRITER
overlooked the group of students. “I wish we had more students, but the ones who did come are committed and can go back and share and so everything about the effort that was made today I believe is positive and is a step forward.” But for the students, everyone was in “like minds” for more representation of the voice of the SC State Bulldogs in the surrounding community. In all the success of the march was not compromised, but the scope in future plans is envisioned to look a lot broader.
“We as a people have come a long way, but there is still progress to be made.” This may have been the very phrase that ran through the minds of the group of Bulldogs that left the front gate of campus around 4 pm on a cold, cloudy & gray Saturday, to participate in the SGA “March for Progress.” A part of the Orangeburg Massacre Week, the march started from Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium and went all the way to the Orangeburg City
Hall; all the way gaining movement in it’s stead. Among the crowd of supporters was Miss SC State Zuri Stackhouse. “The Outcome of the event was really great although I wished for more student support,” she said. “What Zack ( Zachary Middelton, Current SGA President) had to say was very important because everyone feels like were not included in the city of Orangeburg and we should be, because Orangeburg is technically a College Town.” This seemed to be one of the key points made in the speech given by
Middelton in front of Orangeburg City Hall. “Many students feel that Orangeburg has nothing to offer,” he said, “but for someone who has lived here all their life that is just not true.” The SGA president stressed the importance of students to the Orangeburg community and wanted Orangeburg to have the same impact on students as it had for him and others growing up in Orangeburg. Commenting on this historic march, Director of Student Life and Leadership at SC State, Lillian Adderson said she thought it was a solid start as she
Massacre film evokes strong emotions BY JONATHAN WHITE MANAGING EDITOR “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 SEE FILM ON PAGE 4
Photo by Eric Smith/The Collegian 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.
“Taking a Stand”
Photo by Eric Smith/The Collegian Henry Smith (right) sits with his mother before leaving for the spring semester at SC State College. Smith is played by professional drama major Charlie Jones III and senior speech pathology major Ensley Greaves plays Mrs. Smith BY DERVEDIA THOMAS EDITOR IN CHIEF “Taking a Stand” the reenactment of the Orangeburg Massacre, opened to a full house and continued to have strong showings at the 3000 capacity Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium. SC State heroes like John Stroman and Cleveland Sellers were among those in attendance along with Fred Moore, who was the Student Government Association President of SC State College in 1955 and was expelled along with several other student leaders for their pioneering protests against injus-
Photo by Stephanie McDuffie/Student Media Associate adviser Delano Middleton (left) meeting Sammuel Hammond for the first time Daleno is played by Student Government Association President Zachary Middleton and Hammond is played by Lawrence Nelson who also played President Benner Turner in the opening scene tices in Orangeburg. His bravery was honored in the opening scene of the play with a powerful performance by mathematics major Austin Floyd. The three and a half hour play, humanized and displayed the personal stories of the not only the three students killed, but also one of the police officers that shot them. Moses O. Bell played a level headed but focused Stroman, Elijah T Corley an aggressive James Davis and Charlie Jones III played a compelling Henry Smith. Samuel Hammond’s spiritual personality was introduced convincingly to audiences who did not
Photo by Stephanie McDuffie/ Student Media Associate adviser Ethel the love interest of Sammuel Hammond, grieves over the loss of her friends after returning from the infirmary.
know him personally by Lawrence Nelson and a passionate, eager Delano Middleton was brought to life by his great-nephew Student Government Association President Zachary Middleton. Like his great nephew, Delano was also a footballer eager to make a change. Few in the audience knew that in one of the scenes Middleton [Zachary] actually wore one of his deceased uncle’s actual jumpsuits. The female actresses elevated the play to another level adding emotion through their personal SEE PLAY ON PAGE 4