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PHOTOGRAPHER:

In this photograph taken on June 24, 2015, the steps of Mother Emanuel demonstrate the collective outpouring of grief for the victims, survivors, and their families in the days and weeks after the tragedy.

The Mother Emanuel Nine, Charlestonians who were slain during Bible study on June 17, 2015: Hon. Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Myra Thompson, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Cynthia Graham Hurd, Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr.

Thousands of people paid their respects, leaving memorials in the form of flowers, notes, poems, and pictures.

The facade of Mother Emanuel in April 2025.

Kevin Sack.

Bernard Powers, Marjory Wentworth, and Herb Frazier.

Jennifer Berry Hawes.

Marcus Amaker.

Rev. Anthony Thompson.

Malcolm Graham.

On the west side of the church, the “Memorial Courtyard” features marble benches and a fountain etched with the names of the Emanuel Nine. Behind it, the “Contemplation Basin,” with a cross above a simple altar, will give visitors a quiet place to pray and reflect.

A pathway will lead from the courtyard to the “Survivors’ Garden,” a green space with stone benches and six trees symbolizing the five survivors and the church, also a survivor.

A section of the fellowship benches, crafted of marble from Danby, Vermont; completion of the “Memorial Courtyard” is expected by year’s end.

Photographs by (memorial) Melinda Smith Monk & (stucco texture) Laura Huggins & courtesy of (portraits-9) MOTHER EMANUEL AME Church; photograph by Laura Huggins; Images by (Sack) Alan S. Weiner & (Powers, Wentworth, & Frazier) Jack Alterman & courtesy of (book covers) the authors; images by (amaker) Lauryn Darden & (Berry Hawes) Grace Beahm Alford & courtesy of (book cover) Jennifer Berry Hawes; Images (3) courtesy of the authors; images by (section of marble bench & Marble Background) Laura Huggins & (renderings-3) DBOX CG/courtesy of THE MOTHER EMANUEL MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

Feature

On Heartbreak & Healing: Where are we as a community a decade after the Mother Emanuel massacre?

Eight authors share their insights on the struggle to heal after the senseless tragedy

On Heartbreak & Healing: Where are we as a community a decade after the Mother Emanuel massacre?

On Heartbreak & Healing: Where are we as a community a decade after the Mother Emanuel massacre?

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On Heartbreak & Healing: Where are we as a community a decade after the Mother Emanuel massacre?

On Heartbreak & Healing: Where are we as a community a decade after the Mother Emanuel massacre?

CHARLESTON MAGAZINE

FOOD & DRINK

ARTS & EVENTS

STYLE & SHOPPING

VIDEO AND MULTIMEDIA

PEOPLE & LOCAL HISTORY