The students wanted to bowl, but more importantly, they sought to make a point. It had been four years since Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodations, yet the bowling alley remained off-limits to Blacks. The students sought to change that.
When they entered the establishment, the owner turned them away. Police were called. They tried to arrest the students for disturbing the peace. Some of the students were beaten, attracting the attention of other SCSU students and setting off demonstrations that, two days later, resulted in the shooting deaths of three students, including one football player, and injuries to dozens of others. The killings became known as the Orangeburg Massacre.
