Flowers once crowded the doorway of Mother Emanuel AME Church on Calhoun Street. On Saturday, November 14, Charleston opened a permanent place of remembrance beside it. At the center of the Emanuel Nine Memorial, water flows from a cross over marble carved with the names of nine worshippers.
Hundreds gathered for the dedication, which included music and remarks from family members. Live 5 reported from the opening that Chris Singleton, whose mother was killed in the attack, described what having a physical place to remember her would mean. His family has no gravesite to visit.
The nine were killed in a racist attack during Bible study on June 17, 2015. They were the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Graham Hurd, the Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Tywanza Sanders, Ethel Lee Lance, Susie Jackson, the Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, the Rev. Daniel L. Simmons Sr. and Myra Quarles Thompson.
A place to sit across from someone
Two curved marble benches face each other across the courtyard. Between them is the Fountain of Grace. Visitors can see the nine names around its edge; at the far side of the courtyard is the Cross of Hope. Architect Michael Arad, who designed New York’s National September 11 Memorial, designed this space, according to the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation’s guide.
The dedication marks the opening of the courtyard. The foundation describes a Survivors’ Garden still to come: five trees and six benches to honor the five people who survived the attack and the congregation that continues to worship here.
Visiting after the dedication
The memorial is at 120 Calhoun Street. Admission is free. The foundation lists Sunday hours of noon to 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check before a Monday trip: the visitor guide lists Monday as closed, while Live 5’s opening-day report included Monday in the daytime schedule.
Paid parking options include the Marion Square Garage at 399 King Street and the Gaillard Center Garage at 32 Alexander Street. Group tours are by appointment; the visitor guide has the contact information and a self-guided mobile tour for individual visitors.
The foundation asks visitors to keep voices low by the benches, leave the water undisturbed and keep the walkways clear. For families returning to remember someone, this is a place they may visit often, long after the opening-day crowd has gone. Find more Charleston coverage here.
Image credit: Kellyjeanne9, June 21, 2015. Historical photograph of tributes outside Mother Emanuel; it does not show the new courtyard. Original photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized.
