06/18/2026
Today, we remember the nine beautiful souls taken from us in a hateful act of violence as they prayed and studied Scripture at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.
On June 17, 2015, a gunman murdered nine innocent people during a Bible study. Eleven years later, we pause to honor their lives, their faith, and their enduring legacy.
🕊️ Rev. Clementa Pinckney
🕊️ Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor
🕊️ Daniel Simmons Sr.
🕊️ Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton
🕊️ Tywanza Sanders
🕊️ Ethel Lance
🕊️ Myra Thompson
🕊️ Cynthia Hurd
🕊️ Susie Jackson
These nine lives embodied service, leadership, education, faith, family, and deep community commitment. Their presence strengthened everyone around them. Though taken too soon, they are gone but never forgotten.
May we honor their memory by turning grief into action — confronting hate, white supremacy, and the epidemic of gun violence with courage and conviction. Their names, their stories, and their legacy continue to call us forward.
