
Courtesy of Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church
Founded in 1816, Charleston’s Mother Emanuel church is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the southern United States.
By Christine Ajudua
Jul 3, 2019
Courtesy of Dbox for The Mother Emanuel Nine Memorial / Handel
A rendering of the future Fellowship Benches and Names Fountain
More than four years after the devastating, racially motivated shooting at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel church, the Rev. Eric Manning opens up about the church’s legacy, how the city has changed—and how a new memorial will honor those who died.
On June 17, 2015, during bible study at Charleston’s historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (or Mother Emanuel), nine people—pastor Clementa Pinckney as well as congregation members Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Simmons, and Myra Thompson—were shot and killed by a 21-year-old, white-supremacist male. One year later, the Reverend Eric Manning became the new pastor of Mother Emanuel, which has tapped the Israeli American architect Michael Arad (of the National September 11 Memorial) to help commemorate the “Emanuel Nine” on its church grounds. Here, Reverend Manning opens up about the community’s recovery, the church’s resilience, and what the coming memorial will bring to the city.
Mother Emanuel is a church with a lot of history. What role do you feel it plays in Charleston?Have you made any changes at the church?
There were a lot of changes made: No longer is the church open to the general public—now, you have to be buzzed in [on any day but Sunday]. We have security. Service should not be a test of survival; you should not have to worry or wonder if you will leave because you came to worship. But we will continue to be that beacon of light, to be the place of hope, to be all that God would have us to be for such a time as this.
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Would you say Charleston has been changed?
I was encouraged by the mayor’s leadership when the city council issued a proclamation and an apology for slavery. I’m always encouraged by seeing churches come together: In November we were able to host the South Carolina Baptist Convention here—to have a worship service with not only the white Southern Baptists but also the black—and it was awesome. But there’s still so much work to be done. Because people look here during times of senseless tragedies—they look to Charleston, they look to Mother Emanuel—to ask, “How do we navigate through this?”
The church commissioned Michael Arad—the Israeli American architect of the National September 11 Memorial—to design a memorial outside the church. What will it look like?
The design that he and his team have come up with is phenomenal. Of course, the church is still the centerpiece. When you [walk out into the courtyard you find] fellowship benches, positioned across from each other so you can have a discussion. You’re talking across the main space; the basin in the middle has a cross coming out, where the water is flowing down on the sides with the names of the Emanuel Nine—so as you’re having that dialogue, you’re remembering the sacrifice. And when it becomes too overwhelming, you have a place at the foot of the cross where you can pray or reflect. Then you go to the Survivors’ Garden and see the greenery—you see the continuation of life, the sense of resilience.
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What is your greatest hope for the memorial?
That one person who is struggling with hatred or forgiveness comes to this memorial and is changed. Some people say that’s overly simplistic, but I still believe one person can change another person, which can change a community, which can change a town.
What’s the best way for travelers to engage with the church?
They’re always welcome to come and to fellowship with us and, of course, to take a tour—we have great historians who not only talk about the history of Charleston but also about Mother Emanuel’s, and how they are intertwined. If [anyone] feels led to give to the memorial [fund, they can visit emanuelnine.org]; it is a separate 501C 3 with a separate board. But most importantly, I would say just remember us in prayer.
>>Next: D.C. Welcomes the New African American Culture Museum
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