Alright, y’all, let’s talk about history—because history has this real bad habit of showing up like your ex at a party you specifically told them not to come to.
Picture it: Orangeburg, South Carolina, 1968. It’s February—Black History Month, no less—and some young, smart, Black college students are out here trying to do something radical. What’s the radical act? Bowling. Yep. Rolling a ball at some pins. That’s it. They just wanna go to the local bowling alley, the All-Star Triangle Bowl, but the place is still clinging to segregation like an old auntie holding onto expired coupons. The Civil Rights Act of 1964? Nah, they were out here pretending it was “just a suggestion.”
So, these students decide, “Alright, bet. We’re gonna protest.” Because what do you do when someone tells you you can’t do something for no good reason? You go harder. They march, they sit-in, they make noise. And the police? Oh, they love that. Because nothing gets a cop more riled up than a peaceful Black protest.
And then comes February 8. It’s late at night, the students are chilling on campus around a bonfire, probably talking about how messed up it is that they still can’t bowl. And the cops? The cops roll up like it’s a season finale cliffhanger. And instead of, I don’t know, talking to these unarmed students, they just start shooting. Bullets flying, people screaming, running for their lives—and when it’s over, three young men are dead: Samuel Hammond Jr., Henry Smith, and Delano Middleton. And 28 others are shot. You know how much you gotta hate somebody to shoot 28 people?!
And here’s the kicker—the police try to flip the whole script, like, “Oh, we were just defending ourselves.” Defending yourselves from what?! A bunch of students with books and righteous indignation? They really hit us with the original “I feared for my life” excuse.
Now, when it goes to trial, you already know what happens. The nine officers who shot up a bunch of kids? All acquitted. Of course. Meanwhile, civil rights activist Cleveland Sellers, who was there that night, he’s the one who goes to jail. Ain’t that some nonsense? A bunch of cops shoot into a crowd, no consequences. But the one dude standing up for justice? Locked up. That’s like your boss setting the office on fire and you getting fired for calling 911.
Fast forward a few decades, and the state of South Carolina is finally like, “Oops, our bad.” In 2001, Governor Jim Hodges apologizes. Then in 2006, former Governor Robert McNair admits the state was wrong. But at that point, apologizing for the Orangeburg Massacre is like your ex texting you, “Sorry for what I did in 1968.” Too little, too late.
And here’s the real problem: This ain’t just history. This ain’t some “Back in the Day” special. This is an American pattern. The Orangeburg Massacre wasn’t the first time and it damn sure wasn’t the last. Police brutality, racial injustice, lying to cover it all up—it’s like America’s longest-running TV show, and we keep getting reruns.
How many times we gotta watch this same tragic episode? Peaceful Black protesters get called “thugs.” Unarmed Black folks get shot for existing. The cops claim “self-defense.” The legal system looks the other way. Then years later—after books, documentaries, and protests—some politician decides, “Maybe we should apologize.” Oh, now you wanna apologize? Baby, we needed you to act right when it mattered!
And let’s be real: If social media had existed in 1968, Orangeburg would’ve been trending for one day, and then some celebrity scandal would’ve knocked it off the timeline. Because even now, we’re still asking the same damn questions:
Who gets to protest without getting shot?
Who gets justice, and who gets forgotten?
Why are we still explaining basic human rights in the Year of Our Lord 2025?
Because make no mistake—every time we see another police shooting, every time they rewrite history to make it sound like activists were “too radical,” every time the system protects the oppressors and punishes the people fighting for change—we are still living in Orangeburg.
America, this rerun sucks. It’s time to change the damn channel.
