REPOST: February 8, 2021 is the 53rd anniversary.
Ora Sue Smith Hughes shares memories about her brother, Henry Smith (1948-1968), one of the three slain victims in the Orangeburg Massacre. South Carolina State College student Henry Smith had an interest in the growing civil rights movement, admiring leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. His death continues to impact the family, even the generation who didn't have the opportunity to know him in person.
On the evening of February 8, 1968, SCSU students started a bonfire on the front of campus which is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina. As police and firefighters attempted to put out the fire, officer David Shealy was injured by a thrown object. As a result, South Carolina Highway Patrol officers fired shots at the protestors.