A national memorial commemorating the Emanuel Nine will break ground July 22 after years of fundraising and delays.
The project, flanking both sides of the church, will feature in part two large marble benches centered around a fountain inscribed with their names. Cynthia Graham Hurd. Susie Jackson. Ethel Lance. DePayne Middleton-Doctor. Clementa Pinckney. Tywanza Sanders. Daniel Simmons Sr. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton. Myra Thompson.
Working on the memorial has helped cement them — a group including beloved wives, husbands, parents, brothers, sisters, pastors, a librarian, a track coach — in history. It has sustained a reeling congregation, and the broader Charleston community, in processing what happened inside such sacred space.
The project has brought a common goal, uniting Emanuel in a mission to preserve and honor the past while building a new future.
A memorial commemorating the Emanuel Nine will break ground July 22, weeks after the tragedy's eighth anniversary. The project has sustained a reeling congregation, and the broader Charleston community, in processing what happened inside such sacred space. https://t.co/wmFeHpKMxP
— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) June 16, 2023