The Orangeburg Massacre

February 8, of this year marked the 54th anniversary of the tragic Orangeburg Massacre that resulted in the death 2 South Carolina State college students, Samuel Hammond, Henry Smith, and 1 Wilkinson High School student, Delano Middleton. There had already been many marches and protests in Orangeburg along with meetings at churches and prayer vigils at the town square, now there were deaths. Being a native of Orangeburg, this was a traumatic experience for Belinda who at age 7 remembers the tanks and the fully armed National Guardsmen, some with dogs walking throughout town. There was tension and much stress as Black neighborhoods were on curfew with National Guardsmen at many entrances.

Years later as students at SCSU both Belinda and Tony attended the memorial ceremonies on campus for the three slain students and sensed the gravity of the event that seemed to be ignored by the greater Orangeburg community. What impact did that have in them?

At this month’s Gullah Campfire Supper with Stories and Songs we’ll tell more of our own story, the work we do and the hopes we have to hold on to our history, Gullah traditions and food-ways, as well as strive toward racial reconciliation and healing. So come share a favorite Gullah meal with us as you hear these stories and sing around our campfire. If you’ve never heard about the Orangeburg Massacre it will be a great opportunity to become informed.

We’ll also look at the incidents that occurred in the life of Rev. John M. Perkins who grew up in the home of his grandparents who were sharecroppers. His mother died when he was 7 months old from malnutrition. His brother who was awarded war medals from WW2 was shot and murdered because he responded to being attacked by a deputy who then shot him twice in the abdomen and he died from his wounds. “Throughout the 1960s Perkins was a leader in the civil rights movement, organizing marches, demonstrations, boycotts of white-owned businesses, and voter registration drives in Simpson County. In late 1970 Perkins was arrested in neighboring Rankin County, where he had gone to contest the earlier arrest and jailing of eighteen minors associated with Perkins’s ministry after their van was pulled over. Perkins and two other activists were beaten nearly to death by Mississippi Highway patrolmen and other law enforcement officers at the Brandon Jail.”

The John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation for Justice, Reconciliation & Community Development (JVMPF) is a non-profit organization that teaches and promotes the principles of Christian Community development and racial reconciliation.

Discover Rev. Perkins‘ strategy to overcome the difficulties he experienced and the solutions they offer us today as we share a delicious Farm2Table meal, and join in songs of the Movement.