Emanuel A.M.E. Church

Charleston County religious leaders met with officials from the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month as the feds warn of an increased risk of attacks on houses of worship.

Two survivors of a 2015 racist massacre that killed nine of their friends at a Charleston church say South Carolina's lack of a hate crimes law is an insult to what they suffered through at their Bible study. Polly Sheppard and Felicia Sanders told a group of state senators Tuesday it sends a message that the state isn't serious about stopping the kind of wickedness that led to the massacre at Emanuel AME. South Carolina and Wyoming are the only U.S. states without a law giving stiffer penalties for crimes motivated by someone's race, sexual orientation, religion or disability. The House and a Senate subcommittee have approved the bill, which died on the Senate floor last year.

Operatic baritone Will Liverman and pianist Paul Sánchez—Director of Piano Studies at CofC and Artistic Director of the university's International Piano Series—are joining together once again for the first Charleston performance of works from their acclaimed album Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers.

On June 17, 2015, twelve members of the historically black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina welcomed a young white man to their evening Bible study. He arrived with a pistol, 88 bullets, and hopes of starting a race war. Dylann Roof’s massacre of nine innocents during their closing prayer horrified the nation. Two days later, some relatives of the dead stood at Roof’s hearing and said, “I forgive you.” That grace offered the country a hopeful ending to an awful story. But for the survivors and victims’ families, the journey had just begun.

On June 17, 2015, twelve members of the historically black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina welcomed a young white man to their evening Bible study. He arrived with a pistol, 88 bullets, and hopes of starting a race war. Dylann Roof’s massacre of nine innocents during their closing prayer horrified the nation. Two days later, some relatives of the dead stood at Roof’s hearing and said, “I forgive you.” That grace offered the country a hopeful ending to an awful story. But for the survivors and victims’ families, the journey had just begun.

Dylann Roof, the man on federal death row for the racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation in 2015, is making his appellate argument that his conviction and death sentence should be overturned.

On this episode of the South Carolina Lede for July 7, 2020, we bring you discussion about a new book on the Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting, the…

On this episode of the South Carolina Lede for June 18, 2020, we reflect on the Mother Emanuel AME massacre in Charleston five years later. We also…

Five years ago, Chris Singleton was a carefree college student dreaming of playing professional baseball when he got the call that changed his life."I'll…

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and Congressman Joe Cunningham have proposed legislation to close the so called, “Charleston Loophole” by extending the…