On June 17, 2015 a young man entered Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and quietly joined a group of people gathered for their weekly prayer meeting. He was a stranger to them but, never the less, they welcomed him without reservation. He prayed with them for several minutes and then quietly stood up and methodically shot all but one of them, leaving nine people dead. The tenth victims life was spared so the she could, in his words, be a witness to “what happened here.”
Hearing the initial news reports of the shooting I was overwhelmed with sadness and disbelief. The victims were wonderful, caring people devoted to God and their faith. They left behind families and friends now torn apart by grief and struggling to understand. How could anyone do this? Why would anyone do this? Everyone it seemed felt their pain.
The following day a suspect, Dylann Roof, was arrested in North Carolina. After confessing to the murders his motive became painfully clear. His actions were fueled by an irrational anger and hatred for the African American population and his desire to “start a race war”. He chose Emanuel AME because of its historical significance thinking his actions there would impact more people. He hoped that the response to his hate and violence would be more hate and violence.
But he was wrong. He misjudged the victims’ families and the congregation of Emanuel AME church. He misjudged the city of Charleston and the people of South Carolina. The overwhelming response was one of love and forgiveness. In the midst of their unbearable pain the victims’ families said repeatedly “we forgive you”.
Instead of riots and looting the people of Charleston gathered at “Mother Emanuel” day after day to pray, and sing hymns leaving flowers in their wake. Three days after the shooting at 10:00 AM church bells tolled throughout the “Holy City” in remembrance of the victims. That same day at 7:45 pm, nearly twenty thousand people marched across the Ravenel Bridge forming a “unity chain” in honor of those who died. If Dylann Roof wanted to start a race war he picked the “wrong church and the wrong people” because there simply was no room for hate neither at Emanuel AME nor in the city of Charleston.
On June 17, 2015 ten people at Emanuel AME Church welcomed a stranger into their midst to pray with them. For nine of them it would be the last thing they did on this earth. I did not know these people personally but I will be forever changed by them and their message of God’s love and mercy.
…I was a stranger and you took me in. Matthew 25:35