The Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., announced Saturday that it was retaining the designer of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum to craft a permanent monument to the nine victims who lost their lives to racist terror on June 17, 2015.
Israeli-American architect Michael Arad was selected to create a permanent memorial at the church, according to a page for the memorial at the Matching Fund, a culmination of plans that began one month after the heinous shooting, and guided by members of the Charleston-based Beach Company and AME leadership, which created an executive committee to oversee the project.
“This memorial on the grounds of the church will help keep the memory of the Emanuel Nine alive, and honor the resilience of the families, survivors and church members,” said the Rev. Eric Manning, pastor of Mother Emanuel.
“Being asked to design this memorial is a humbling and tremendous responsibility,” said Arad. “I will do my utmost to honor the memory of the deceased and give voice to the injured, the grieving families and the community. If we are able to shine a light on the beauty, resiliency and love that was shown by members of this congregation and the community of Charleston, we will succeed in showing the best of humankind in the wake of the worst. I look forward to engaging in a collaborative design process with hope and humility.”
Tax-deductible donations can be made to the memorial fund online by visiting this link. Donations by check may be sent to “Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation” c/o Emanuel AME Church, 110 Calhoun St., Charleston, SC 29401.
Read more at the Matching Fund.