Thursday, June 17, 2025, marks a solemn milestone, ten years since the tragic mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. That night in 2015, nine Black churchgoers were murdered by a white supremacist in an attack that shocked the nation and deeply impacted the Black fraternity and sorority community.
The shooter, then-22-year-old Dylann Roof, walked into “Mother Emanuel”, the oldest AME church in the South, and joined a Bible study group. After sitting with the group in prayer for nearly an hour, he opened fire, killing nine parishioners in what federal prosecutors described as a racially motivated act of domestic terrorism.
Five of the victims were members of historically Black Greek-letter organizations:
- Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, 41
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Pastor of Emanuel AME Church and South Carolina State Senator - Cynthia Graham Hurd, 54
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Librarian and community leader with over 30 years of service - Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Minister, speech pathologist, and high school coach - Rev. Daniel L. Simmons Sr., 74
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Retired pastor and longtime spiritual leader - Myra Thompson, 59
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Minister and lifelong educator
Other church members lost in the tragedy:
- Susie Jackson, 87
Church matriarch and choir member, beloved for her warmth and wisdom - Tywanza Sanders, 26
Recent college graduate, entrepreneur, and aspiring leader - Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor, 49
Minister, mother of four, and higher education professional - Ethel Lance, 70
Devoted member of Mother Emanuel, church sexton for over 30 years
On Dec. 15, 2016, Roof was convicted on 33 federal counts, including hate crimes and obstruction of religious exercise and he was sentenced to death on Jan. 11, 2017, where he still remains on death row according to People.com.
As the nation reflects on a decade since the Charleston massacre, Black fraternities and sororities continue to honor the legacy of these nine lives. The pain remains fresh, but so does the commitment to fighting racism, white supremacy, and violence against Black communities.
The memory of the Emanuel Nine lives on in our activism and our call to never forget.