On June 20, 2024, a day after the Railroad Corner ground-breaking, while I was at the Orangeburg County Library, I was approached by Mr. Sidney Evering (Orangeburg City Administrator). He stated that he wanted to talk to me after I finished my conversation with another person. We moved to a more private setting to talk. At this time, I told Mr. Evering that it was wrong that city officials are trying to disrespect me while putting themselves in a negative sight. I expressed to him that Mr. Singh had no business saying anything to me and telling me to leave a public event. I say public because it had not been announced that it was private. He looked at me with a smirk on his face and said, “Somebody had to do it”. It was a modern day Jim Crow scenario orchestrated by own race, “a black man pushing a white man to do his dirty work.”
At more than a few city council meetings, the mayor has been very offensive toward me and other citizens. I once spoke at a District Five meeting, and after I spoke the mayor said to me very sarcastically, “I get tired of seeing ya’ll, you need to stay home sometimes”! It amazes me that he has that much hatred towards me. And to think, I worked hard during his first two terms bringing in voters, especially from the international community. I have also worked with Pro Tem Mayor Keitt when she ran a campaign for Mayor. I have asked at least three times within the last year and a half to meet with the Mayor, City Council and the City Administrator and I have been told by Mr. Evering that he has to check with the City Council.
Since the incident on June 19th, we haven’t heard a word from him or any other official from the city. Some citizens of Orangeburg are saying that the mayor orchestrated this and I tend to agree with them because it’s not the first time something like this has happened. I do know that when someone is guilty, it says a lot for him and the administrator and the council because when you are afraid to meet face to face it says a lot about your character and who you are as a human being. This brings back a memory when I was first was introduced to Sidney Evering, I mentioned my effort to save the State Theater. He hatefully said, “The mayor hired me to tear the whole corner down.” I have eyewitnesses that were just as flabbergasted as I was to that statement. Let’s set the record straight, saving the State Theater was all spearheaded by William Green, Jr. and it became my passion in 2018-2019. Even years before that, I was thinking of ways to save the historical value of the Railroad Corner. It is the fact of me being a historian and caring about my community and the legacy it possesses that drives my passion. The legacy it represents stands for an important part of African Americans in Orangeburg’s story. It is my belief that when you tear down your history, you destroy a big part of your story because what makes every city and town unique is the story it has to tell. The story of the Railroad Corner is a story that many cities don’t have. You can’t erase the legacy of the people that were not allowed to shop, dine or enjoy other activities as others could.
