I am deeply saddened and horrified by the massacre that took place at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine innocent people were shot to death by one person with so much hate in his heart.
The shooter, identified by police as 21 year-old Dylann Roof, took away the lives and rights of these Americans:
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton (mother of three, reverend, and high school track coach)
Reverend Clementa Pinckney (pastor, senator, father of two)
Cynthia Hurd (librarian, friend to many)
Tywanza Sanders (who told the shooter to point the gun at him instead of his 87-year old aunt)
Myra Thompson (wife of reverend Anthony Thomposon)
Ethel Lee Lance (loving grandmother)
Rev. Daniel L. Simmons (father of two and grandfather to four)
Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor (minister, and mother of four)
Susie Jackson (aunt of Tywanza Sanders, mother, and grandmother)
In a few weeks, our country will celebrate Independence Day. Let’s revisit the excerpt from The Declaration of Independence which states,
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…”
Let’s not forget those who perished on Wednesday, or any other day. And let’s teach our children to treat EVERYONE equally. My prayers go out to Charleston.
