Within the heart of downtown Charleston, South Carolina there is a beautiful white church building standing tall on Calhoun Street. This building is known as the Mother Emanuel AME church, and is an African Methodist Episcopal place of worship. The church itself has a very inviting appearance from the exterior. It is a large white painted building, with big windows and many architectural details and structures. The church has a large pointed spire that towers above the city’s skyline, making it noticeable from many areas of the city. The church is very well kept and maintained, which is incredible considering it has been around for decades. The history of the Mother Emanuel church is one of the many reasons it deserves attention from the public. The church was founded on May 9th, 1816 by Reverend Richard Allen. The Mother Emanuel church was the first independent denomination for black members within Charleston, South Carolina. The church was a place for free African Americans at this time to come and worship freely, as they were not welcome in any of the white churches. At this point in history, the early to mid 1800’s, African Americans were still enslaved, segregated, and treated in a cruel manner. The Mother Emanuel church stands as a reminder of this time, where blacks were segregated from others. However it also plays an incredible role in the black history of Charleston, both in the past and presently. Since time has passed, the issues involving segregation and racism in the community surrounding the church have greatly changed. In the time that has passed, slaves were obviously freed and whites and colored citizens live equally amongst one another. However, there was an incident not very long ago involving the Mother Emanuel church, that brought back many of these feelings from the past. On June 17th, 2015 there was a horrific shooting that occured during a bible study at the church. A young white man entered the church with a firearm and opened fire, killing nine innocent citizens. All of whom were African American. This event was shocking to the community and an absolute travesty. Unfortunately, it made many wonder if the racism that was so prevalent hundreds of years ago had ever truly been resolved. However, in light of this tragedy the church is working diligently to not only honor those whose lives were taken but embrace all of the history behind the church. The church has held several events honoring those affected by the shooting, and a multi-million dollar memorial to honor the fallen is still in the works today. The Mother Emanuel church is home to a strong community and has always been open about the history that led the church to this point. Unfortunately, the recent events that occured at the church do support some of the upstanding stereotypes of Southern culture. As we discussed in class, due to the practices of slavery and the confederate attitudes during the civil war and reconstruction, most white southerners are stereotyped as racists. This stereotype is rooted in the actions of the white southerners and slave owners that were around over a hundred years ago. However, the fact that a white man committed such a horrible racist act against the African American church in Charleston, makes it seem as if time has not fully changed the wrongs of the past nor the white supremacists attitudes in the South. However, the church and its members have persevered throughout history and continue to do so today. The Mother Emanuel church is a monumental part of Charleston history and black history, and it is important to understand its story in order to better understand the history behind Charleston, South Carolina. 

Our story. Mother Emanuel AMEC – Our Story. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://motheremanuel.com/our-story.  

NBCUniversal News Group. (2021, June 15). Charleston, S.C., Church to honor victims with forum on healing. NBCNews.com. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/charleston-sc-church-honor-victims-forum-healing-rcna1177.  

Staff, T. E. (2021, June 16). Editorial: 6 years after massacre, mother Emanuel Memorial ‘will draw all people together’. Post and Courier. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-6-years-after-massacre-mother-emanuel-memorial-will-draw-all-people-together/article_c3451ac6-cddd-11eb-b893-3715a7681e3d.html . 

U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). South Carolina: Mother emanuel AME church (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.nps.gov/places/south-carolina-mother-emanuel-ame-church.htm.