The Ten Year anniversary of the Mother Emanuel AME Church Shooting
What is the color of your Heart?
We are soon to reach June 15, 2025, and the tenth anniversary of the Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting.
Reflecting back, the A Backpack Journalist program had been invited to bring a few of our after school African American students for three days at Vorhees, for a college experience. Cleveland Sellers, was the President of the college at the time, and Bakari Sellers, his son and a friend to our program invited us in. Off we went, sleeping bags and all. In total there were 20 students middle to high school, and then the 4 "Backpackers", elementary school age, and I with Principal Shaw and other adults who volunteered.
We all piled into a school bus and traveled to Denmark, SC, where the boys began with an assignment to a dorm room, followed by instruction on how to use the cafeteria and the waffle maker. The days that followed, the boys were on fields playing football, in the classroom taking instruction from Principal Shaw, and I, at night with their writing and journaling and photography. I learned quickly that my 4 boys in elementary school had not been to far away from home, thus we spent time telling stories, and reading out loud, until sleepy enough for each boy to go to sleep. Never forgotten memory.
These three day can only be described as uplifting and spiritual and educational that provided these young boys with an experience not often had! The last day, Bakari Selliers speak to each wishing them well. We returned back to Charleston, late on the afternoon on June 17, 2015. Jubilant and happy.
UNTIL. early morning June 18, 2015 - I awoke to a radio announcer going over the events from the night before and the tragedy on Calhoun Street and the Mother Emanuel AME Church. As I listened for more details, between being horrified at what I heard, I immediately was concerned about the "backpack students". What to do next. How can we help them deal with such a tragedy filled with hate?
Reaching out to the mothers of several of the "Backpack students" they were also concerned, "what to do?". Riding downtown, we parked and walked to the church, immediately people were laying down flowers and some praying. We turned around, returned to our meeting place, St. Julian Divine on E Bay Street, as soon the "Backpack Students" started arriving. Next an open discussion, prayer and what can we do to help? As "journalists" we began to draft and write posters with messages of love and concern. Yes, indeed we had just returned from evenings filled with journaling! Now to implement what all learned.
Many times overs we walked to Mother Emanuel AME Church, and left our hand written messages, sometimes flowers. Once we even were invited in the media trailer by a national news group.
In the days ahead we found our beloved Charleston community was placing signs of hope and love on their homes, garage doors, with flags also flying.
Next, a group of the Backpack Journalists and I - in my car with cameras spent time riding around Charleston taking photos of the signs and messaging and then with the help of our film editor assembled the SIGNS OF CHARLESTON.
Yes, it exists today on YOUTUBE and we share it again with this blog!
So where are these young boys from ten years, ago? All graduated from high school, college bound, and in the military with dreams of cyber defense. Still thinking of themselves as "Backpack Journalists - and apart of our famlly!",
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