Photographer recalls events of Orangeburg 1968

A monument at S.C. State remembers the three students killed on Feb. 8, 1968. From left, the busts are of Samuel Hammond, Delano Middleton and Henry Smith.

Cecil Williams of Orangeburg is known for his photography capturing the civil rights movement in South Carolina.

His recollections of events such as the Orangeburg Massacre are told in his photo books and at his civil rights museum in Orangeburg, the only one of its kind in South Carolina.

Williams spoke to Claflin student journalists ahead of the anniversary of the Feb. 8, 1968, incident in which three students were killed and 28 others were injured during a protest at South Carolina University over segregation at an Orangeburg bowling alley. It is known as the Orangeburg Massacre.

At the time, Williams worked as the official photographer for the South Carolina Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, South Carolina State University and Claflin University.

“I remember going to a restaurant. They did service me but not with the greatest of kindness. But overall, the doors had been open for African Americans to take part in the democratic process and be full citizens in Orangeburg,” Williams said of changes that were slowly being made in Orangeburg after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"It started on Feb. 6, 1968, at the All-Star Bowling Lanes, which was on Russell Street about three blocks from South Carolina State and Claflin University,” Williams said. “Citizens passing by for years had been upset about the 'white only' sign that was right by the sidewalk.”

“John Stroman, a local student at the time, was one of the individuals interested in bowling. He had done this for many years and he found out he was not able to go to the bowling alley in Orangeburg.”

The owner said this was because the establishment was privately owned, Williams said. "He had been licensed by the city of Orangeburg to operate a business and he should have obeyed the laws."

“On Feb. 6, 1968, I received a phone call that students were at the bowling lanes just after dark around 7 o’clock,” Williams said.

“I parked my car on Russell Street and walked over to the bowling alley. I saw that there were around 52 to maybe 100 students gathered outside.”

Police officers began to gather as well, Williams said, noting there were no African American police.

After a glass was broken at a nearby business, causing a loud noise, city police began beating students with their batons, Williams said.

“I began to run,” Williams said of making his way toward his car.

It was then that he saw a woman on the ground being beaten by officers just because she was in the area and had fallen.

Two days later on Feb. 8, 1968, tensions were high. Students were confined on the SC State and Claflin campuses and could not go into town.

“The governor, Robert McNair, called in the National Guard, called in the Highway Patrol. There were even tanks in Orangeburg.”

Throughout the night of Feb. 8, law enforcement increased its presence and the entrances to the campuses were blocked off.

“During the night around 10/10:30, highway patrolmen were ordered by (SLED Chief) Pete Storm to load their weapons with shotgun shells,” Williams said.

They approached the students, who "believed that they were within their rights to protest, and they really believed that they were being mistreated by not being allowed to go back downtown."

Witnesses told Williams there were around 30 officers but only nine loaded their weapons. They moved toward the students and began firing.

Williams said, “Three students were killed, and I think about 28 injured. There were many more who were not on the record.” These students decided not to go to the hospital and to seek private doctors or other healing methods.

“The cruelty of it was that the highway patrolmen dragged the bodies and collected two of the three bodies,” Williams said.

“When they dragged two of the bodies ... one of them was still moving, and they took out their 38 and shot him so he would not even move anymore,” Williams said he was told.

Williams said the campus seemed deserted when he arrived the next morning, going to the scene of the shooting. There he collected spent shotgun shells that became the subject of an iconic photo. There was not even any police tape marking the site.

“In my opinion this is a reflection that even in 2024, the disrespect that they give to the African American community. Color and skin tone in America in 2024 is still a factor that affects everyone of color,” Williams said.

"We still have a ways to go to really achieve a color-blind society.”