Cleveland Sellers

Cleveland Sellers
Born	November 8, 1944 Denmark, South Carolina, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Educator, Activist
Known for	Civil Rights Activism, Orangeburg Massacre

Cleveland Sellers (born November 8, 1944) is an American educator and civil rights activist known for his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and his role in the Orangeburg Massacre.

Early Life and Education

Cleveland Sellers was born in Denmark, South Carolina. He grew up in a family that valued education and community involvement. Sellers attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he became actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Civil Rights Activism

Sellers joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the early 1960s, a key organization in the Civil Rights Movement. He worked alongside prominent leaders such as Stokely Carmichael and John Lewis.

Orangeburg Massacre

Main article: Orangeburg Massacre

In February 1968, Sellers was involved in a protest against racial segregation at a bowling alley in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The protest led to a violent confrontation known as the Orangeburg Massacre, where three students were killed by police gunfire. Sellers was the only person arrested and was later convicted of "riot" charges, serving seven months in prison.

Later Life and Career

After his release, Sellers continued his education, earning a master's degree in education from Harvard University and a doctorate in education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He became an educator and served as the director of the African American Studies Program at the University of South Carolina.

Legacy

Cleveland Sellers is remembered for his dedication to civil rights and education. His experiences during the Civil Rights Movement, particularly the Orangeburg Massacre, highlight the struggles and injustices faced by African Americans in the United States.

See Also

• Civil Rights Movement
• Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
• Orangeburg Massacre

References

• Sellers, Cleveland. The River of No Return: The Autobiography of a Black Militant and the Life and Death of SNCC. University Press of Mississippi, 1990.
• Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. Harper & Row, 1980.

External Links

• University of South Carolina African American Studies