Press Releases

CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield Remembers Victims of the Mother Emanuel Church Shooting in Charleston, South Carolina on the One Year Anniversary

Washington, DC, June 17, 2016

Today, CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) released the following statement to remember the victims of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) shooting on the one year anniversary: 

“One year ago today, nine parishioners were violently gunned down as they worshiped in peace at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston, South Carolina. 

“An incident of such terror and racial hatred could have easily sparked an outpouring of anger and violence from the community and around the nation, but we witnessed something different.  It was not rage, nor was it vengeance.  We witnessed a response of Christian forgiveness, unity, and peace that led a community and the nation to grieve for the nine victims and all those impacted by this tragedy.  Our hearts were broken by the senseless act of hate and racism as such violence should never be tolerated in a country as great as ours. 

“Today, as we pause to remember the lives of the beloved individuals we lost – Depayne Middleton Doctor, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Simmons, Sharonda Singleton, and Myra Thompson – we renew our commitment to the cause that united a nation in love, peace, and racial unity to once and for all eliminate the Confederate Flag, one of the longest standing symbols of hatred and divisiveness in America’s history, from public institutions across the country.”

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Since its establishment in 1971, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have joined together to empower America’s neglected citizens and address their legislative concerns. For more than 40 years, the CBC has consistently been the voice for people of color and vulnerable communities in Congress and has been committed to utilizing the full Constitutional power and statutory authority of the United States government to ensure that all U.S. citizens have an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. To learn more about the Congressional Black Caucus, visit http://cbc-butterfield.house.gov.

Media inquiries: Candace Randle Person at (202) 593-1331 or Candace.Person@mail.house.gov