“This was such a divisive incident that even using the word ‘massacre’ to describe the shooting could provoke anger and arguments among white and black people for years,” said Jack Bass, a professor of humanities and social sciences at the College of Charleston and author of “The Orangeburg Massacre” (Mercer University Press), a widely accepted history of the events. “But Calhoun’s play is important because it’s a way in to talking about those involved as human beings, to try to bring a story to life rather than arguing over it.”
