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1968: Kerner Commission Documents a Divided Society 1942: Detroit Rebellion an Omen of Deadly Riots 1988: Debi Thomas Medals at Winter Olympics 1870: Political Deal Brings End to Reconstruction 1870: Hiram Revels Becomes First Black U.S. Senator 1864: Rebecca Lee Crumpler Becomes a Physician 1868: W.E.B DuBois Born in Massachusetts 1988: First Grammy Awarded in Rap Category 1965: Malcolm X Assassinated in New York City 1895: Anti-Slavery Crusader Frederick Douglass Dies
February 8, 1968
3 Students Die in 'Orangeburg Massacre'
Four years after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a segregated bowling alley in Orangeburg, S.C. still refused to integrate and became the focal point of student protests. On this date in 1968, the protestors rallied on the campus of South Carolina State University. After one police officer was struck by debris tossed by the crowd, other officers opened fire. Three students were killed and 27 were injured. (Nine law enforcement officers were charged in connection with the shootings. All were acquitted.)