It would be an injustice to pretend that this attack is an Where is the justice? isolated incident against the African American community Reverend Collins is still grappling with the “massacre” in South Carolina -- or the South in general. There is a much that Mother Emanuel -- the church’s endearing nickname larger historical context in which white supremacists -- faced. “I still can’t get a handle on this thing,” he said. have attacked African Americans and their churches and “It’s always on my mind.” Reverend Collins and others are communities. And that’s not to say that the attackers only reaching out to the families of the victims as well as the belong to extremist pre-Civil Rights Movement groups survivors by connecting with them spiritually and “showing like the Klu Klux Klan. There is more to this than just them love,” he said. “That’s what we do.” marginalizing the outwardly racist factions of society; The healing process is going to take time. it’s more than just them. Racist “These are not emotions that terrorism is not a new concept, and you can just turn on and off,” the African American community Collins said. White agreed, and in Charleston knows this all too like many others, emphasized the well. need to attack institutional racism “It’s in their homes,” College of that comes in the form of income Charleston Dean of Libraries John inequality, health disparities, mass White said. “This isn’t way back in incarceration and lack of access to history. This is stuff that Grandma education. “Without addressing dealt with on a daily basis. These these issues,” he said. “You’re just were things where Grandpa could spinning your wheels and not be fired from his job for trying to doing right by the victims and the vote.” survivors.” Recently awarded with a In terms of doing right by the $375,000 grant from Google, White victims, the College of Charleston and members of the Avery Research has renamed one of its most Center for African American History prestigious Colonial scholarships in have been working to springboard memorial of Cynthia Graham Hurd. community conversations and Hurd was a College of Charleston dialogue for societal change. This librarian as well as a librarian at “Race and Social Justice Initiative” other Charleston libraries. “Cynthia co-hosted a series of events with believed very strongly in the power the survivors of the Birmingham of education and literacy,” White Church Bombing in 1963 that said. “She embodied what it means served as a forum to discuss racism to be a librarian. This is what she and violence. The grant will bring stood for.” The College will also more events to the College of plant a marker in the Serenity Charleston by inviting authors of Library in Rivers Green in her pertinent activism-geared books honor. to facilitate discussion on campus. A woman stands proud in Marion Square at a College of Charleston’s This group of faculty is also putting Black Lives Matter rally at the Charleston Farmers own student organizations are together an online memorial Market. (Photo by Michael Wiser) stimulating conversation through featuring visual representations of forums and vigils, as well. Students the assemblage of flowers, posters and ribbons collected such as Kalene Parker, President of the Black Student Union from the church as well as responses from people locally, at the College, believe that Charleston has responded better nationally and globally. The release date has yet to be than to be expected of a victim of such a hateful crime. determined, as the committee wishes to be respectful of “Charleston has handled this better than I would have the survivors’ and families’ time to grieve. thought,” Parker said. “I expected riots, but it has overall White said that the African American community wants been very peaceful and very remorseful. Forgiveness is the to see real results come out of this tragedy. “They want key because if they [the families] were to hold that enemy the legacy to be about the victims and the survivors,” he bitter they wouldn’t be able to stand up and tell other said, “not about the shooter ... And the only solace I think people to respond in a peaceful manner.” they do get from this is that the victims did not have to die At the student forum hosted by the BSU called “Say Their in vain, and the survivors did not have to go through the Names,” members of the BSU filed into the room followed trauma they went through for no reason at all.” by College of Charleston athletes, Muhiyyidin d’Baha and Head Basketball Coach Earl Grant.
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