On Wednesday night there was what has been characterized as a heinous white supremacist terrorist attack at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Among the nine victims of this brutal massacre was Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney. Rev. Pinckney was also a prominent state senator. Rev. Pinckney leaves behind his wife Jennifer and their two children - Eliana and Malana. On Monday, June 22, 2015, BTA members wore white (which is one of the traditional African colors for mourning) to show their support and pay their condolences to those murdered in Charleston. The BTA stands in solidarity with the victims’ families as they mourn their loved ones. The BTA also feels that it is important to stand in solidarity with the people in Charleston who assembled at Morris Brown A.M.E. Church to mourn for the victims and to proclaim that a racist gunman would not divide their community. Rev. George Felder Jr., pastor of New Hope A.M.E. Church, addressed those gathered which included blacks, whites, Christians and Jews, and said, “We cannot make sense of what has happened, but we can come together.” As an organization, the BTA is vehemently opposed to racial biases and discrimination.Those who wish to donate to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church can do so here.
In Solidarity,
Chris