CHARLESTON, S.C. – June 15, 2022 – The Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation Board, which manages the fundraising, construction, endowment and outreach for the Emanuel Nine Memorial, announced today The Boeing Company has donated $500,000 to the Emanuel Nine Memorial.
The Emanuel Nine Memorial honors the nine victims and five survivors of the June 17, 2015 tragedy, one of the largest racially motivated mass murder in recent American history. The memorial will be located on the grounds of the Mother Emanuel AME Church and will feature a courtyard with two fellowship benches, facing each other with high backs that arc up and around like sheltering wings. At the center of the courtyard, the curves of the benches will encircle a marble fountain where the names of the Emanuel Nine are carved around the fountain’s edge. Water will emanate from a cross-shaped source, filling the basin and gently spilling over the names of the nine lives lost. The opening between the benches toward the back of the courtyard will reveal a cross above a simple altar, providing visitors a quiet place to linger in thought and prayer.
Image Courtesy Dbox for The Mother Emanuel Nine Memorial / Handel Architects
The memorial will also include a survivors’ garden, which will be accessed by a pathway from the courtyard. Dedicated to life and resiliency, the garden will be surrounded by six stone benches and five trees, symbolizing the five survivors – the sixth signifying the church is also a survivor.
The Emanuel Nine Memorial is expected to break ground this fall and open in early to mid-2024.
With a fundraising goal of $20 million to design, build, maintain and protect the Emanuel Nine Memorial, as well as fund educational outreach and social justice initiatives, the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation relies on individual and corporate contributions that can be made online by visiting: www.emanuelnine.org/donate.
“The Emanuel Nine Memorial honors our dear friend the late Reverend Clementa Pinckney, his fellow worshipers and their families. We stand together in the fight against racism, and this memorial represents our continued commitment to remember the pain and loss experienced. May they forever remain in our hearts.” – Lindsay Leonard, Senior Director of National Strategy and Engagement, The Boeing Company
“With the recent amount of violence that has impacted so many of our collective communities, we need a symbol of hope and reminder that love is stronger than hate. I believe that the Emanuel Nine Memorial will be able to serve as a place of healing and resilience. As the pastor of Mother Emanuel and co-chair of the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation, I am immensely thankful for Boeing and its generous donation to the Emanuel Nine Memorial.”– Rev. Eric S.C. Manning, pastor of the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church and co-chair of the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation