Tom Dent interviews Dean B. Livingston in Orangeburg, South Carolina. They talk about the arts community and Dent talks about his time as the Executive Director of the Jazz and Heritage Festival. He talks about Charleston as the cultural hub on South Carolina. They contrast it with New Orleans. Livingston talks about Orangeburg, whose growth has slowed since the boom of the 1960s, which followed changes to agriculture and the growth of other industries. He expands on the industrial landscape of Orangeburg and how it has evolved since the 1960s. Dent asks about how the economy of Orangeburg has affected the racial situation in South Carolina. Livingston talks about the training Utica Tool provided to the local population when they moved into town. He also addresses the city's reputation for being conservative and right-wing, and the extremes Orangeburg encompasses. He refers to Orangeburg as the "cradle of Black intelligence" in the state, due to the presence of South Carolina State University and Claflin University, and talks about the climate surrounding the Orangeburg Massacre shootings in 1968. He describes the lack of support for the Black community from former South Carolina State President Dr. Turner, contrasting him with Dr. Maceo Nance. He talks about his own upbringing in a lower class White family. Dent talks about the desire to put the shootings behind them that he has encountered during his interviews with the African Americans in Orangeburg. Livingston talks about what changed as a result of the shootings.
