Horrified. Violated. Terrified. These are only some of the emotions that came to mind when I heard of the shooting that occurred Wednesday night at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Calhoun Street.
Nine people are reported dead from the incident, including the pastor, who was also a state senator. That's nine families distraught, one whole congregation in distress, and approximately 128,000 people living in Charleston afraid, because the murderer, 21-year-old Dylan Roff, was still at large until late Thursday morning. Roff was recently captured in Shelby, NC.
Although Roof's motives for the attack are still largely unknown, the FBI believes it is a hate crime. However, I would go beyond that to describe the shooting as a blatant act of terrorism. A house of worship is meant to be a safe haven and holy ground, where a prayer meeting can occur on a Wednesday night without the thought of, "Am I safe here?" being an issue. This sacrilegious shooting was described as "another 9/11," by Bob Dyer, who works in the area, and evidence that "we have a problem in our society," by state representative Wendall Gilliard.
The issues continue. College of Charleston students were not alerted to the shooting by campus Public Safety and evening classes were not canceled because, "the shooting was not on campus," even though the attack occurred only a block away from the nearest school building. This leaves many students and parents questioning the school's emergency preparedness procedures, especially after the lack of communication during the bomb scare in April.
In the city where the Civil War began, you would think racism would have been eradicated by the 21st century. 2015 has been a rough year, not just for Charleston, but for Baltimore, for Ferguson, and countless other cities where racism occurs but doesn't draw media attention. I have a heavy sadness for the victims and their families, my city, and my country today. As a Christian, I feel attacked and anxious, and my prayers are with my brothers and sisters in Christ at Emmanuel AME.
I know this isn't the whole story, but simply one incident in a world history of the brokenness of the human condition. The media can point fingers at all kinds of issues in the news today- violence, gun control, mental illness, police brutality, terrorism- but it's all different facets of the same brokenness in people. This is not the first incident of racist hate crimes in America, and sadly, it probably won't be the last. Similarly, Christians and people of other religions are still being persecuted across the globe today, in their own places of worship. There is a real darkness and a real evil in this world.
However, I know this is not the end of the story. I also believe there is a real light and there are good people in this world. For every racist in Charleston, there are at least 100 people who say, "That's not okay," and have taken a stand against inequality. Like most cities, Charleston still has segregation issues, but the overwhelming majority is diverse, as well as racially tolerant. The community of Charleston will continue to rally around Emmanuel AME and provide support. I know those individuals at the prayer meeting on Wednesday night had a faith that taught, "what was meant for evil, God will work out for good." Although I am still outraged over the incident and heartbroken for my community, I have hope for Charleston. I know this day will not be forgotten and justice will come to those who do hate crimes. I have faith in my city to heal itself from these fresh wounds, care for our fellow man, and bring awareness to this horrifying issue.
