We can’t believe it’s been a year since nine innocent people were murdered while worshipping at their church, the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. This tragedy deeply saddened us, but it also further galvanized us to continue the work we do here at Teaching Tolerance. Six TT staffers reflect on the massacre’s impact.
My Third Day Here
On my third day working at the Southern Poverty Law Center, nine beautiful people were killed during a prayer service in South Carolina. The murders were fueled by hate and racism—and the days that followed the crime were heavy. As a new team member, I was in the midst of learning about Teaching Tolerance’s work and mission, and the Charleston tragedy reinforced why teaching tolerance, acceptance, justice and love is so important.
Jarah Botello, teaching and learning specialist
Not “An Attack on Christianity”
I remember hearing people say the massacre was “an attack on Christianity.” Well, no, it wasn’t. Soon after the murders occurred, ample evidence began circulating about Dylann Roof’s plans to carry out his grisly deed precisely because of his white supremacist views. The repeated denial of this racial element was such a stark illustration of the ways our society continually ignores the systemic issues that perpetuate bias and inequality. That denial is one reason I continue to work toward helping young people appreciate—and honor—each other’s.
Monita Bell, writer/associate editor
Greater Urgency in the Work I Do
The tragedy at Emanuel AME created greater urgency in the work I do at Teaching Tolerance. An urgency to include personal stories from all identity groups in our content. An urgency to teach the civil rights movement and all of its complexities, triumphs and blemishes. An urgency to develop materials that help teachers and students deal with the tragedies and traumas of our world. The Charleston massacre reminded me that, although we have made great gains in our work toward tolerance and inclusion, the march continues.
Sara Wicht, senior manager of teaching and learning
Nearly Demoralized Me
The deaths of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown activated me. The deaths of Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, 54; Susie Jackson, 87; Ethel Lee Lance, 70; DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49; Clementa C. Pinckney, 41; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Daniel Simmons Sr., 74; Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45; and Myra Thompson, 59, nearly demoralized me. I can never remember feeling as defeated as I did that day. It wasn’t until a few days after the tragedy, however, that I realized how privileged I am to work with Teaching Tolerance. Time and time again, our country has seen the ills of white supremacy. Educators are faced with a tremendous responsibility to prepare our nation’s students to do better than those who came before them. I am more than ready to assist them.
Joanna Williams, new media associate
Be More Than a Well-intentioned White Person
Shortly after the Charleston shooting, I was at a two-day, anti-racism training where half the participants were black and half were white. At the end of the training, one white participant publicly apologized to the black participants for the shooting on behalf of all white people. She cried, and a very kind black woman comforted her.
At that moment I was angry, and I was embarrassed to be white. Not only did members of the Mother Emanuel AME Church lose beloved friends and family under the most violent and horrible circumstances at the hands of a white person, but now this woman was taking up time and space in an environment that was supposed to be about racial justice. Her outpouring put African-American participants in the position of having to care for her feelings about the massacre.
Clearly, I can relate to this well-intentioned white person better than I can relate to Dylann Roof. But this incident hit home for me how far most white allies have to go before we can safely stand together with people of color against the truly hateful. This knowledge keeps me going. People of color don’t have the option of stopping. What kind of white person would I be if I did?
Adrienne van der Valk, managing editor
History Is Not Past
Charleston made it clear that history is not past and that we don’t move on; we reconcile. The weight of our past—including slavery, white supremacy and racial hatred—is like a geological fault. The pressure is always there, and at times, it releases in a quake of violence and rage. So many elements of the massacre in Charleston connected to our shared past. Charleston was a key depot for the slave trade and the place where the Civil War began. For African Americans, the church was a place not only of sanctuary, but of solidarity and resistance. It offered space, leadership and foot soldiers for the civil rights movement. The shooter, under the banner of the Confederate battle flag, fought to preserve white supremacy. As the events unfolded, I felt part of a United States trapped in the past, unable ever to escape our founding Original Sin.
Yet, the days that followed offered some glimmers of hope: Southern governors called for the removal of Confederate flags, and the nation seemed poised to—finally—face the lingering effects of our racial history. Today, that seems like a brief flicker. Our work is to keep that flame alive.
Maureen Costello, director
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