Center for Creative Partnerships
PROJECTS
Center for Creative Partnerships has developed significant projects including the first GullahStudies Institute on St. Helena Island at Penn Center; Civil Rights/Social Justice Workshops; and many others. The organization has developed Strategic Plans for Penn Center, Jackson, MS, and Charlottesville, VA. CCP President has curated important exhibitions including Partnership in Social Justice; James Brown: Preserving the Legacy; Journey from Africa to Gullah; Africa Revisited: The Art of Power and Identity.
Center for Creative Partnerships encourages communities and organizations to work with us to develop projects which will have a positive impact on your community and/or institution - and we help to raise the necessary funds.
These and other unique projects are available for your community and /or organization.
For information contact Center for Creative Partnerships at
(803) 928-6851or centerforcreativepartnerships@gmail.com
Orangeburg All-Star Center in Commemoration of the Orangeburg Massacre
The Center for Creative Partnerships is creating the Orangeburg All-Star Justice Center at the historic All-Star Bowling Lanes to honor the victims of the Orangeburg Massacre. This one-of-a-kind project will feature a Civil Rights Bowling Alley, museum exhibits, films, and space for education, reflection, and community healing.
The site includes the preserved 1960s bowling alley, an adjoining lot for development, and a nearby building generously being donated by Rev. Sammie Gordon. Supported by Orangeburg County Council, the City of Orangeburg, South Carolina Humanities, and others, the project is moving forward with deep community engagement.
As Bakari Sellers said, “It will help heal the nation’s wound from the defining day of my life—16 years before I was born.” We invite you to be part of this powerful effort. Your partnership and donations will help bring this vision to life.
Bronzed Busts of the Heroes of the Orangeburg Massacre
Henry Smith, Samuel Hammond, & Delano Middleton
Sculptures by Tolu Filani, Artist/Chair of Visual and Performing Arts, SC State University
Photo taken at SC State University Commemoration of Orangeburg Massacre
James Clark, President, Germaine Middleton
Significance of The Orangeburg Massacre
The Orangeburg Massacre was a tragic and pivotal event that occurred on February 8, 1968, when law enforcement officers opened fire on student demonstrators at South Carolina State College in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The violence was preceded by days of escalating tension beginning on February 6, when students launched protests against the continued segregation of a local bowling alley on Russell Street. Approximately seventy-five students gathered outside the establishment, and when several leaned against the glass windows, they shattered. In response, police officers reached for their firearms and billy clubs, causing the protesters to scatter in panic. Amid the confusion, a young woman fell to the ground and was brutally beaten by officers.
Two days later, on February 8, students at South Carolina State College and nearby Claflin University were ordered to remain on their campuses. That evening, demonstrators assembled at the front of the South Carolina State campus, where they lit a bonfire to signal their ongoing resistance. They were soon confronted by South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers and other law enforcement personnel operating under the command of Pete Stroman, then head of the State Law Enforcement Division. When officers attempted to extinguish the fire, students responded by throwing debris, including a piece of wooden banister that struck and injured an officer. After Stroman communicated with the governor by telephone, a whistle was blown, and the patrolmen were instructed to load their weapons. Moments later, at least nine patrolmen and one city police officer opened fire on the crowd of unarmed students.
When the gunfire ceased, twenty-eight students were wounded. Three young men—Samuel Hammond, Henry Smith, and Delano Middleton—later succumbed to their injuries at the Orangeburg Regional Medical Center. The massacre remains one of the most significant yet often overlooked tragedies of the civil rights era in Orangeburg, South Carolina.