OPINION
The Chronicle
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Ernest H. Pitt
Donna Rogers
Elaine Pitt
Publisher/Co- Founder
Managing Editor
Business Manager
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Our Mission
The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the
residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
by giving voice to the voiceless, speaking truth
to power, standing for integrity and
encouraging open communication and
lively debate throughout the community.
It's time for
a new fight
against hate
A white man enters a black church during prayer
and Bible study, spends an hour with parishioners
then executes nine of them. This horrific episode at
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in
Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17 has aroused
black church members and leaders, and people of all
races nationwide, including in Winston-Salem. How
could this happen in 2015?
The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, president of the
N.C. NAACP, gives a brief history of the black
church in which the nine people died - including its
pastor and state lawmaker. Sen. Clementa Pinckney
- and others were injured.
"Emanuel A.M.E. Church's congregation was
formed in 1791 by free and enslaved African
Americans. Denmark Vesey, one of the founders of
the congregation, orchestrated a slave rebellion
uncovered in 1822. Thirty-five slaves were executed
and white mobs burned the church in retaliation for
the revolt plot. The congregation rebuilt the church
and met until 1834, when
the state legislature of "The
South Carolina banned c
black churches. They met Charleston, S.C.,
secretly until area has a history
Emancipation in 1865." ... ,
16th Street Baptist of hatemongenng,
Church was bombed on a tOO. Black people
Sunday morning in . . taropt
Birmingham in 1963. nave 06611 target
Four little girls died and ed for a long time
others were hurt. There fhprp "
was an atmosphere of hate
in Birmingham, all the
way to the government.
The Charleston, S.C., area has a history of hate
mongering, too. Black people have been targeted for
a long time there. Before die church members were
killed, a North Charleston police office fatally shot
an unarmed African-American man in the back as he
fled from the officer.
Black ppople have weathered all kinds of evil
over 400 years in America. From lynchings, to
bombings, to decapitations, io rapes and other forms
of torture, to church burnings, African-Americans
have been subjected to inhumane treatment because
r\f ropp
vi i aw.
The Black Church is one of the stalwarts of
African-American society. Of course it will be tar
geted by the hatemongers who want to destroy the
black race. All kinds of people are appalled that
something like this could happen today. But the ele
ments that fueled the hatred over the centuries exist
today, so the evil persists.
A 21-year-old white man has been arrested as the
killer in the Charleston massacre. White supremacy
material has been found in his possession. His mani
festo has surfaced. He has embraced the Confederate
flag. This means that this young man was taught hate
or was introduced to hate at a young age. Evil is
being passed on from generation to generation.
Elements such as die Internet and social media
have made it easier to fuel the education of hate.
Information is available at the click of a mouse.
People feel freer to let their vile and hatred be
known.
History is repeating itself. From voting rights to
economic rights to civil rights, African-Americans
are targets. \
Just as African-American leaders of the past.
Barber issues a plea.
"We must rededicate ourselves, black and white,
to the battle against white supremacy.
In the aftermath of the Birmingham bombing in
1963, civil rights and justice communities took not a
single step backward. People of all races stepped for
ward together. Let us do so again."
This time, the movement forward will involve an
African-American society that is different from the
one in 1963. African-Americans have made many
gains since then. The movement forward will need to
unite a Black America that has resources yet might
have forgotten about the past struggles. The Black
America today has become comfortable in its new
status.
However, as the recent killings of unarmed
African-Americans show, racial hate still exists.
Therefore, a new fight must gain momentum.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Stand against
evil acts of
violence and hate
To the Editor:
I was sickened to learn nine
parishioners [of Emanuel African
Methodist Episcopal Church] were
murdered in Charleston [S.C.], in a
disgusting act of violence. The pastor
of the church. Reverend Clementa C.
KincKney, wno
was also a South
Carolina State
Senator, as well
as North Carolina
State Senator
Malcolm
Graham's sister,
were among the
nine.
These sense
less murders are
incrediblv heart
breaking. I will be keeping the family
and friends of all of the victims, as
well as the entire Emanuel African
Methodist Episcopal Church and sur
rounding community in my prayers.
Today we must join together to
stand against evil acts of violence and
hate. I hope to see justice prevail in
this case.
U.S. Rep. Alma S. Adams (NC
12)
Washington, D.C.
Unite to seek
end to violence,
hatred in UJS.
To the Editor:
Dylann Storm Roof, 21, admits
that on Wednesday evening [June 17],
he killed nine men and women during
a prayer meeting at Mother Emanuel
African Methodist Episcopal Church,
a Black congregation in Charleston,
S.C., in an attack that has been
labeled a hate crime. The family of
Rev. Depayne Middleton, 49, who
was killed in the attack, released the
following statement:
The very thing many of us fight
against ? a deeply masked and far
reaching culture of violence in our
society ? has devastated our family.
This past Wednesday night during
Bible study and prayer service, a gun
man filled with a racist heart entered
the historical Mother Emanuel AME
Church of Charleston, South
Carolina, and opened fire on the 12
persons gathered there. Only three
people survived the attack.
Our loved one, Rev. Depayne
Middleton, was among those killed.
Ever since her death was confirmed,
our family has been met with
unspeakable pain and grief. Our
hearts are troubled, but our faith
remains steadfast, trusting and believ
ing in God's power to mend our bro
ken hearts.
At this time of grave personal
loss, we ask you for two things. First,
please keep our family and our
church community at Mother
Emanuel A.M.E. in your prayers.
<>
Next, please move away from the
sidelines and unite together - regard
less of your faith or religious practice
- to seek an end to hatred and vio
lence.
What happened to our family is
part of a larger attack on Black and
Brown bodies. To impact change, we
must recognize the connection
between racism, hate crimes and
racialized policing. While the focus
for this specific attack was on
African-Americans, we all have a
responsibility to seek not only justice
for the victims, but an end to racial
injustice.
We should put our faith to action,
making a conscious decision to be
more than empty drums that have
long lost their melodies. In South
Carolina the Confederate flag - an
unequivocal symbol of hate - remains
on statehouse grounds. We must
demand the flag be removed immedi
ately - we cannot let icons of racism
fly free within our society.
We call on all people, public offi
cials, fhith leaders and Americans
from all walks of life to help address
the festering sores of racism as it
spurs an unforgiving culture of vio
lence. This is a big task but may
become more manageable if we work
together and if all people see the
attack in Charleston as an attack on
their own families and loved ones.
Family of Rev. Depayne
Middleton,
killed while at prayer service
and Bible study
CHARLESTON, S:C.
Pray for justice,
love and against
forces of racism
To the Editor:
In response to the act of racial
terror last night [June 17] at the his
toric Emanuel AM.E. Church - a
beacon of light and a force for liber
ation and justice for nine seme years
in our nation's history - the NC
NAACP and Forward Together
Moral Movement call on all North
Carolinians to action in prayer and
fasting.
We call on people of conscience
and of all faiths to pray for justice
and love and against the demonizing
forces of racism.
We extend our prayers to
Emanuel A.M JE. Church, to the fam
ilies of those who were shot and
lulled.
We ask for prayers of faith for all
people to not only challenge overt
expressions and actions of racism,
but to challenge, as this church has
done throughout its history, policies
that have a disparate impact on
African-Americans and other minori
ties like the denial of Medicaid
expansion, voter suppression, cutting
funding of public education, denying
living wages and labor rights. All of
these are issues that Emanuel
A.M.E.'s late minister, Rev.
Clementa Pinckney, cared about.
Let us join Rev. Pinckney's fami
ly and the millions who have been
traumatized by this gun violence in
J
reminding ourselves to hate the evil,
but to somehow find the grace to for
give the perpetrator, while never
relinquishing our commitment to the
cause of justice. We know that hate
cannot drive out hate; evil cannot
drive out evil; and violence cannot
drive out violence. Only love and
justice can overcome them.
Emanuel A.M.E. Church's con
gregation was formed in 1791 by
free and enslaved African
Americans. Denmark Vesey, one of
the founders of the congregation,
orchestrated a slave rebellion uncov
ered in 1822. Thirty-five slaves
were executed and white mobs
burned the church in retaliation for
the revolt plot. The congregation
rebuilt the church and met until
1834, when the state legislature of
South Carolina banned black church
es. They met secretly until
Emancipation in 1865. That a con
gregation so rooted in the battle
against white supremacy should suf
fer such violence at the hands of a
twisted white supremacist is a bitter
irony, but we must rededicate our
selves, black and white, to the battle
against white supremacy.
In the aftermath of the
Birmingham bombing in 1963, civil
rights and justice communities took
not a single step backward. People of
all races stepped forward together.
Let us do so again. Let us honor the
deaths of these wonderful human
beings. Let us continue their quest
for righteousness and justice and
equality. Not just with cute platitudes
and post-mortem words, but with
courageous actions and deeds.
?Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II,
President, NC NAACP
and Architect, Forward Together
Moral Movement
?Rev. Michelle Laws, Executive
Director, NC NAACP
?Ms. Carolyn Q. Coleman, 1st
Vice President, NC NAACP
?Ms. Carolyn McDougal, 2nd
Vice President, NC NAACP
?Rev. Dr. T. Anthony
Spearman, 3rd Vice President, NC
NAACP
?Mr. Courtney Patterson, 4th
Vice President, NC NAACP
?Rev. Curtis E. Gate wood,
HKonJ Coalition Coordinator
From Raleigh, N.C .
The nine who were
killed have been
identified. They are:
Adams
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