Emanuel 9 memorial opens to community in Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WBTV) - The Emanuel 9 memorial opened to the community with a theme of turning darkness into light. The memorial honors nine Black worshippers killed June 17, 2015, in a racist attack at Mother Emanuel AME Church.

Charleston’s mayor said he did not want that day to define the city. He said the day led to hope.

Features of the memorial

Nine bells rang, one for each victim.

The memorial includes fellowship benches for people to reflect and resolve their differences. It also has a fountain of grace with each victim’s name and a cross to signify hope and forgiveness.

Rock Hill resident Ryan Stephens traveled to the memorial. “Continue to make roads to see reconciliation between such hatred and division, and keep working forward to build a better city,” Stephens said.

The memorial cost $25 million. The hope is that it will be a catalyst for change.

Families remember the victims

Charlotte resident Rev. Sharon Risher’s mother, Ethel Lance, was one of the nine.

“I can see my mom everywhere, and I know she would be proud,” Risher said.

“Everybody in the world is going to know her name,” Risher said. “They will be able to come to a place where it’s nothing but peace and joy and love and the work of God on this sacred ground.”

Chris Singleton was 18 when he lost his mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton. Singleton said his biggest fear is that people won’t remember his mother and the other eight people who were taken away.

“The second time you die is when they stop remembering you, and today we remember the nine beautiful souls lost in our church,” Singleton said.

Charlotte City Councilman Malcolm Graham’s sister, Cynthia Graham Hurd, was one of the nine.

“No one is talking about how they died. They are talking about how they lived,” Graham said.

The day also celebrated the victims’ lives and legacy through music and food.

Visitors from other communities

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, a former spiritual adviser at Tree of Life, and his wife traveled from New Jersey. Myers survived the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed.

“We are on the same path, journey together, as we both try to heal from these vicious acts,” Myers said.

South Carolina Sen.-elect Annie Andrews, a Democrat, also attended.

“I’m just proud to show my support,” Andrews said. “We need to take action. We need a hate crime bill in South Carolina.” She also called for a common-sense solution to gun violence, which she described as a public health crisis.

Andrews said the memorial moved her.

“The resilience of Mother Emanuel community, the resilience of Charleston, a place I call home — I will take that with me when I get to work and get sworn in on January 3,” Andrews said.

What organizers hope for

Organizers hope visitors leave changed.

“I hope the people will walk away knowing that we have to work together,” Graham said.

The next project is to create a garden at the church to remember the survivors of the Emanuel Nine Shooting.