The city of Charleston has committed $2 million toward the memorial honoring the nine victims and five survivors of the Emanuel AME Church shooting six years ago.
The contribution was announced June 16 by the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation Board, which manages the fundraising, construction endowment and outreach for the Emanuel Nine Memorial.
The donation will help fund construction of the project and help develop the foundation’s social justice programs and initiatives designed to end racism.
News of the donation comes amid the sixth anniversary of the June 17, 2015, tragedy when a self-avowed white supremacist killed the African American worshippers in an attempt to start a race war.
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said the city is honored to help fund the memorial, which he said will serve as a “daily call to action.”
“It will inspire us, just as the victims’ families and survivors have for the past six years, to continue moving forward together to make Charleston a more just and equitable place for all,” Tecklenburg said.
The original $2 million commitment was made by City Council in 2019. The money was to be donated in two $1 million contributions — one in 2020 and one in 2021. The first donation was made Sept. 25, and the second contribution will be made later this year.
Located beside the church, the memorial will include a courtyard with two fellowship benches facing each other with high, wing-shaped backs that arc upward. At the courtyard’s center, the curves of the benches will encircle a marble fountain, where the names of the nine victims will be carved around the fountain’s edge.
There will also be an altar, providing guests with a quiet place for prayer and reflection.
The memorial will also include a survivors garden, accessible by a pathway from the courtyard. The garden will be surrounded by six stone benches and five trees, symbolizing the five survivors — the sixth signifying the church as a survivor.
The Rev. Eric Manning, pastor of Emanuel, said the memorial will also celebrate the survivors’ resiliency.
The city’s “contribution will ensure that the memory of the Emanuel Nine will never be forgotten, the resilience and strength of the survivors will continue to be celebrated, and the messages of forgiveness, love and grace will draw all people together,” Manning said.
Families of the victims applauded the city for its donation. Relatives of Ethel Lee Lance, Susie Jackson and Cynthia Graham Hurd expressed joy at the news and are looking forward to the memorial that will honor their loved ones.
Polly Sheppard, a survivor of the tragedy, also thanked the city.
“The city of Charleston has been with us and supported us since the beginning of the tragedy, which we greatly appreciate,” she said.
The announcement also comes as the city faces a budget shortfall caused by the pandemic. The Emanuel donation was taken from the city’s hospitality tax fund, which has met all commitments to outside entities throughout the shortfall period, city spokesman Jack O’Toole said.
Councilman William Dudley Gregorie, who spearheaded efforts to make the donation, spoke to how the memorial evokes thoughts of hope.
“Let this memorial be our morning and a beacon of love, peace and understanding for the world,” he said.
Groundbreaking is expected in the fall. The foundation’s social justice initiatives will launch later this year and the Emanuel Nine Memorial is expected to open in mid-to-late 2022, the foundation said.
The project’s fundraising goal is $17.5 million to build, maintain and protect the memorial, as well as to fund educational outreach and social justice initiatives. Contributions can be given at www.emanuelnine.org/donate.
