Today marks five years since we lost 9 incredible South Carolinians at the hands of an avowed white supremacist in the massacre at Mother Emanuel AME Church.
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Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie, Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel L. Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson will forever be in our hearts.
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This tragedy changed South Carolina forever—a brutal reminder that the fight against hate and white supremacy remains. This event had a major impact on me, as it did many.
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As an attorney at the South Carolina federal court, the trial of the shooter would be my final case. As I stood in the courtroom on the day of the verdict, I knew I stood in the presence of evil.
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But I also stood in the grief, pain, weariness, faith, and resilience of the families who lost loved ones. We should all take time to stand quietly in the humanity of others.
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There can never be full justice for the murders of the Emanuel nine, but the end of the trial brought some amount of closure. Being a part of it was among the most important things I will ever do.
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This week as Juneteenth approaches and our nation sees a new level of understanding and urgency in the fight for equality, for humanity, not seen in decades—we cannot forget Mother Emanuel. And we can never lose sight of the work that still lies ahead.
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To the AME community, the families of loved ones lost, and those who worked diligently in the courtroom on this case, my heart is with you today, and I wish you a moment of peace amongst the continued battle for the soul of our nation. I am with you.
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