“What Does Forgiveness Look Like? Charleston Church Shooting - 5 Years Later” took place yesterday evening, which was the 5th year anniversary of the massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (affectionately known as “Mother Emanuel”) in Charleston, South Carolina, one of the oldest African Methodist Episcopal churches in the South. The screening of Emanuel was followed by a virtual panel moderated by Dr. Diedre Badejo, featuring Dr. Sonya Clyburn, Clinical Psychologist and Ashan Foundation co-founders John Yawyah Agyepong and Alex Kofi Pianim. The screening and discussion was hosted by Monda Media & Little Known Stories.
As a black woman of faith, I was DEEPLY touched and moved by Emanuel. Like many African-Americans, I have southern roots from both sides of my family. My maternal grandmother was born in Charleston, South Carolina and she developed a deep spiritual connection at a young age. The film reminded me of my grandmother’s experiences navigating through the nation’s intense racism and discrimination. Interestingly, church played a major part.
Emanuel emphasizes the impact that church has had on African-Americans over the centuries. Spanning back to slavery, church was a place where African-Americans felt free. Though they were slaves by American definition, church was a sanctuary where they could enjoy their true identity - beautiful, free children of God who were created equal to everyone else on the earth. Church has always been a place of freedom, worship, healing and love. It’s a place where people gather as family on one accord with an agenda to authentically worship God and pray for a better future. Church was a place of hope. Ironically, the house of refuge, safety, and solace was transformed into a place of terror on the evening of June 17, 2015.
Members of Mother Emanuel congregated for bible study and welcomed Dylann Roof (murderer, white supremacist) with open arms. He opened fire and killed 9 people, including the church’s Pastor. Survivors will forever remember the sounds of the gunshots that claimed the lives of the innocent. Families will forever live with the pain of losing their loved ones to murder. The motive was nothing more and nothing less than HATE. Roof’s documents and videos expose the true weakness of his heart- FEAR. Hate and fear seem to have some sort of correlation.
Roof had a FEAR of black people taking over the world. He felt that we were taking jobs away from white people. He felt that we were polluting the school systems. He felt that we were a DANGER to the white population in America. He felt threatened. The documentary expounds upon the FEAR in racism that extends back to slavery. America’s racist oppressors were so afraid of slaves becoming educated. They were so afraid of them tapping into the power that lied within them - the same power that drove them to rebel. They were so afraid of them tapping into the FREEDOM they were created to enjoy. Ultimately, the oppressors were afraid of being oppressed by those who they were oppressing. It seems that this same fear has trickled down to today. Those filled with hate oppress themselves more than anyone else. They are enslaved by the delusions and infirmities of their minds.
The most powerful aspect of Emanuel is the message of forgiveness and healing. #forgivelikerose was the hashtag used on social media to honor Rose Simmons, whose father was murdered during the massacre. Rose, along with other victims’ relatives, made the decision to forgive Roof. While many may look at forgiveness as a copout, I look at it as POWER, FREEDOM AND VICTORY. True forgiveness has nothing to do with letting anyone off the hook. It does not dismiss the crime. It does not dismiss the pain. Forgiveness is the conscious decision to NOT be CONSUMED by the anger and resentment of offense. It is a position of FREEDOM, leaving the offender to carry the burdens of their own actions.
Forgiveness does not mean that the emotions aren’t there. We are all human and we have the right to our feelings. If we don’t feel, we are numb, which is dangerous. Forgiveness can also take time. We all process pain and trauma differently. We have to give ourselves time to process in a way that is healthy, productive, and functional for us. Honestly, I cannot begin to image the pain, shock, horror, and anger of learning that a friend or relative has been viciously murdered in church during bible study. Who could image that? Even more so, I cannot begin to imagine the processing - waking up to tears every morning, having to force myself out of bed, forcing food down with no appetite, having the tragic images looping in my mind, etc. That’s suffering I cannot fathom.
Rose and many others who lost loved ones in the massacre chose to forgive because they REFUSED to become captive to Roof’s hatred. He is tormented and enslaved by his own hatred. They chose to forgive because they refuse to carry his toxic burdens. They refuse to give him power over their hearts and minds. They refuse to follow him down the dark path of hatred. They hurt, but they overcome. They cry, but they can rejoice because the power is theirs. They were the victims of hate, but their love drives them to follow the example of Jesus who asked the Lord to forgive the very people who were nailing Him to the cross. They chose to forgive because, like many African-Americans who persevered through the racism and hate crimes that have plagued America for centuries, they know their true identity. They know their place in the world - the place of FREEDOM, not bondage.
Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can drive out hate.