Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Orangeburg
By Dr. James E. Sulton, Jr.
JA International Correspondent
Publisher’s Note: When Dr. King visited Orangeburg, he stayed at the home of Dr. Sulton’s family, which is located across the street from the SCSU football stadium. The portion of the highway bordering this side of the campus is named in honor of Dr. Sulton’s father – James E. Sulton, Sr., for his courageous civil right work.
Orangeburg, South Carolina during the 1950s, the 1960s, and into the 1970s could be described accurately as the civil rights movement in microcosm. This is because all the strengths and weaknesses of the national civil rights juggernaut were manifested in Orangeburg. The movement’s key dynamics – political activism, economic boycotts, non-violent resistance to segregation and inequality throughout the criminal justice system – unfolded in Orangeburg in searing and revealing ways.
Perhaps the greatest example of this occurred during the early 1960s. At that time, the movement was in full swing. There were positives and negatives flowing. On the plus side, positive things were happening. The economic boycott was having a palpable effect on the local economy. The mass marches and demonstrations were overloading law-enforcement at both the state and local levels. The politicians were besides themselves because they did not know what to do.
However, there was a downside too. Students and ordinary citizens were going to jail in droves. Once they were incarcerated they had to be bailed out, but money was scarce. As fast as they were released from jail, they returned to the picket lines. In their zeal, they were relentless.
But for the organizers of the movement it often seemed that money was simply going to run out. Through fundraising, door-to-door solicitations and even begging in church, leaders were giving the movement everything they had. Yet, it looked distressingly like they were doomed to coming up short.
And then came Dr. King.
Well, of course, at that time he was moving all over the country. Going from one hotbed to another, he seemed literally to resuscitate the program everywhere he went. When he arrived in Orangeburg, he was just about physically worn out. But he got some rest and was back on his feet.
He went to the Trinity United Methodist Church and delivered a stemwinder. He met with the leaders of the movement. He talked to the students. He lent a big hand with fundraising. Dr. King personally breathed life back into the program. When he left town, people went back immediately to hit the bricks.
Orangeburg is special for being home to two HBCUs. During the days of the movement South Carolina State and Claflin provided many soldiers for the struggle. The students led sit-ins and protests; they organized around every day segregation (restaurants, recreational facilities, public spaces). They reflected how students nationally had become the engines for change.
Yes, Orangeburg was special. Dr. King was too. When they came together in the special manner that they did magnanimous change transpired for all time.
Orangeburg encapsulated everything the civil rights movement had: student activism, nonviolent protest, white resistance, state violence, media bias, and unequal justice. All these core elements of the civil rights movement appeared in one small southern town. That concentration of forces is why historians call it a microcosm rather than an outlier.
