STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Today, Charleston, South Carolina, is remembering an attack that came 10 years ago - an attack on one of the oldest Black congregations in the South. A white supremacist shot and killed nine worshippers at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. NPR's Debbie Elliott covered the aftermath of that shooting and revisited the city this month to hear how people are marking the moment. Debbie, good morning.
DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: Hi. Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: Remind people what happened on that day.
ELLIOTT: You know, it was truly awful. It was a Wednesday night Bible study, and the small group welcomed in this stranger, a young white man who came in through the back basement door during their Bible study. And just as the lesson was ending - they were bowing their heads in prayer - he opened fire. He killed nine Black worshippers, including Emanuel's pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney. He was also a South Carolina state senator. Five others who were in the room survived the attack. The shooter, Dylann Roof, who's now on federal death row, had targeted this church in hopes of stoking a race war. He picked - you know, this had great symbolism that he picked Emanuel AME. It was known as Mother Emanuel affectionately for its role in spreading the AME faith dating back to slavery.
INSKEEP: People were targeted for who they were, and the institution was targeted, as well. So how are people using this week to memorialize that event a decade ago?
ELLIOTT: Well, just for context, it's not just this week. The history of this event is now woven into the fabric of Charleston. You know, it's called the Holy City because of all the steeples and its skyline. And one lovely tribute Emanuel does is play nine chimes twice a day from its bell tower, one for each of the victims known now as the Emanuel Nine. And there are memorials and gardens all around the city dedicated to them, even an exhibit at the airport that includes Pastor Pinckney's Bible.
But this week, there are a whole host of events underway, including an Emanuel Nine day of observance at the historic sanctuary. These last 10 years have been traumatic for survivors and for church members, but the congregation is resilient, according to the current pastor. The Rev. Eric Manning says he thinks the focus now should be fighting against the climate that made someone like Dylann Roof want to start a race war.
ERIC MANNING: Because remembering is very important, but you do not get stuck in the past. You figure out how do we ensure that this doesn't happen again? How do we continue to be a light in a pathway of darkness? How do we speak out against hate? How do we embrace understanding that all of us are created in the image of God? How do we do that?
ELLIOTT: Now, Steve, something I kept hearing from people time and time again is this whole theme of how are we going to find triumph out of tragedy?
INSKEEP: Yeah. And I'm thinking about that phrase that we just heard - you don't want to get stuck in the past. But to say that to survivors or to say that to family members...
ELLIOTT: Right.
INSKEEP: ...That's tough. What do they do?
ELLIOTT: You know, it's a tough time for them right now. I reached out to a few survivors, and they really didn't feel like talking right now. But I did speak with several family members. They say they're sad, but they also have a message that honoring the memories of the Emanuel Nine requires some work, right? They have to embrace the idea that they need to confront hatred. I spoke with Melvin Graham. He's the brother of Cynthia Graham Hurd. She was compiling a history of the church at the time of the massacre. Here's what he told me.
MELVIN GRAHAM: No one had their guard up. Everyone thought that we had evolved beyond this type of thing. But if you paid attention, you realized it was under the surface, just bubbling, waiting to come up.
ELLIOTT: You know, he says Emanuel showed that racial violence is real. And he says he thinks it remains a significant threat in the country today, and that's why he's staying involved.
INSKEEP: NPR national correspondent Debbie Elliott. Debbie, I'm glad you were there then and that you're with us now. Thanks for your insights - really appreciate it.
ELLIOTT: Thanks, Steve.
(SOUNDBITE OF PONZI SKEEMZ'S "WINTER BALLOON") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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