College Remembers Emanuel A.M.E. Church One Year Later

One year ago, on June 17, 2015, the Charleston community suffered a tremendous tragedy when a gunman shot nine worshipers dead in Emanuel A.M.E. Church, just a few blocks from the College of Charleston campus.

To help honor these victims, as well as survivors of the shooting and the many families affected by the tragedy, the College is hosting a memorial at 10 a.m., June 17, 2016, in TD Arena at 301 Meeting St.

The service is sponsored by Bishop Richard Franklin Norris of the statewide A.M.E. district and is one of several events organized by the City of Charleston and the church to be held from June 15 to June 26, 2016, in honor of the victims, their families and the congregation.

The memorial is one of many ways the College of Charleston has offered support in the aftermath of the shooting, helping to spark dialogue and promote tolerance and understanding. Notable events of the past year include:

Nine days after the shooting, on June 26, 2016, TD Arena was the site of the funeral for shooting victim The Rev. Clementa Pinckney. President Barack Obama came to the College to eulogize Pinckney, a state senator and the leader of Emanuel A.M.E. Church, and touched on the topics of gun violence and racism in his speech. He also launched into a surprising and moving rendition of Amazing Grace.

A few months later, five professors at the College offered their analyses of the President’s speech in the fall 2015 issue of the College of Charleston Magazine. Also in the magazine: a profile of shooting victim Cynthia Graham Hurd, a well-known librarian at the College and in Charleston County.

Meanwhile, other professors had offered their own thoughts on the tragedy, writing in a variety of local and national publications.

Thanks to a donation from Google, the College launched the Race and Social Justice Initiative, which features speaking events by notable authors Marian Wright Edelman, Bryan Stevenson and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

The College of Charleston hosted a “No Violence – No Victims” vigil in September.

The College published the latest issue of the magazine Illuminations: An International Magazine of Contemporary Writing, which focuses on race relations in South Carolina following race-related shootings. Edited by English professor Simon Lewis, the magazine features writers that include alum Matthew Foley ’08, who writes in direct response to the shooting of Walter Scott. Also, South Carolina Poet Laureate and College of Charleston adjunct professor Marjory Wentworth contributes three poems including One River, One Boat.

Wentworth, along with cowriters Herb Frazier and College of Charleston professor Bernard Edward Powers, published the book We are Charleston about the tragedy at Emanuel A.M.E. Church.

Professor Graeme Coaetzer is leading a statewide effort to have discussions about race and economic well-being in all 46 South Carolina counties.

The Lowcountry Digital History Initiative, Lowcountry Africana, and the College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture created the online photo exhibition, “A Tribute to the Mother Emanuel Church,” developed in partnership with the Emanuel A.M.E. Church and the church’s Memorabilia Subcommittee.

The College hosted “Keeping the Faith: Preservation and Documentation of Mother Emanuel,” a panel discussion focusing on the management-related issues involved with the overwhelming response of support following the Mother Emanuel AME tragedy through donations, letters, artwork, quilts and other mementos.

The College created a Charleston Syllabus featuring campus and Lowcountry events that focus on the issues of race relations, black culture in the U.S. and civil rights. The extensive syllabus was compiled by Simon Lewis.

The College’s women’s volleyball team hosted the September 2015 fundraiser and tournament “Charleston Strong Showcase” in honor of the shooting victims, while members of the men’s basketball team shared their thoughts on the tragedy in a video filmed by CAA.TV