The Orangeburg Massacre took place on February 8, 1968, at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. During a protest against racial segregation at a local bowling alley, students at the university started a bonfire on campus. Law enforcement officers, including highway patrolmen and National Guardsmen, were called to the scene to disperse the protesters.

As tensions escalated, officers opened fire on the crowd of students, killing three young African American men: Samuel Hammond Jr., Henry Smith, and Delano Middleton. Many others were injured in the shooting. The Orangeburg Massacre was one of the deadliest incidents of civil rights protest violence in the United States during the 1960s.

The tragedy highlighted the ongoing racial tensions and police violence faced by African Americans in the United States. The lack of accountability for the officers involved in the shooting further underscored the systemic injustices that Black communities were fighting against at the time. The Orangeburg Massacre remains a significant event in Black history and a reminder of the sacrifices made in the struggle for civil rights.