One year ago, nine people were killed in a Bible Study at Emanuel AME Zion Church in Charleston, SC. The citizens of the city and the members of the congregation are still coming to terms with the tragedy.
Liz Alston, the Emanuel historian who contributed to the entry, said she and other members of the Calhoun Street church were in awe of the nomination’s significance.
After the killings at Emanuel African Methodist, and acts of arson against several historically black churches, a variety of faith-based organizations and individuals raised funds to
They are the oldest AME congregation in the South. They are one of the oldest African American congregations south of Baltimore MD. The congregation was originally formed in 1816, for reasons much as it’s denominational affiliate, over discrimination by the white Christians, mostly Methodists, in Charleston.
During a bond hearing for suspected shooter Dylann Storm Roof, the family members of victims spoke of the pain of their loss. But the reports stated that over and over, in spite of their deep sense of soulless tragedy, they expressed their forgiveness to Roof.