Cleveland "Cleve" Sellers Jr. (born November 8, 1944) is an American educator and civil rights activist.

He was the only person convicted and jailed for events at the Orangeburg Massacre, a 1968 civil rights protest in which three students were killed by state troopers.

Although Sellers completed the requirements necessary to become an Eagle Scout, "his paperwork was lost" and he was not formally recognized with the honor until December 3, 2007, at 64 years of age, more than four decades after it was earned.

The Sellers family was religious and joined St. Philip's Episcopal Church where Cleveland became enthralled with the sermons and brotherhood he was surrounded by.

"[4] Between the murder of Till and a week-long summer retreat with church leaders who discussed racial inequalities in America, Sellers was mobilized about civil rights.

[4] Carmichael's house became NAG headquarters, where Malcolm X himself frequented and advocated to students about the idea of black nationalism, which often criticized MLK's entirely peaceful and inclusive stance.

[4] He was very spiritually disciplined and took an "oath of poverty" after joining, forsaking education, family and pleasures of student life to focus on the movement.

[4] So, when Sellers was elected program director of the SNCC the next year, he quickly took action to revise the goals of the organization.

[4] Sellers thought the philosophical tactics of the SNCC weren't working, and he instead wanted to implement extremely focused and achievable goals for the group.

[4] Many group members didn't like the hard crack-down of the organization, but Sellers believed it to be the best way to make a change.

[3] Then Governor Robert Evander McNair blamed "outside Black Power agitators", but subsequent investigations showed this allegation was without basis.

[13] It's well believed that Sellers was legally targeted in the initiation of the massacre, having been known as a staunch civil rights advocate and former SNCC leader.

[4] During his imprisonment he wrote his autobiography, The River of No Return, chronicling his involvement with the civil rights movement.

[8] Sellers received a full pardon 25 years after his conviction, but he chose not to have his record expunged, keeping it as a "badge of honor.

[11] He ran unsuccessfully for office in Greensboro, North Carolina while aiding the 1984 presidential campaign of Reverend Jesse Jackson.

[4] In 2008, Sellers was selected the 8th president of Voorhees College (Denmark, South Carolina), where he had graduated from high school.