Chapter 27: The Emanuel Church Massacre and the School Across the Street: A Black Man’s Narrative of Two Racialized Conflicts

Like the feelings many Black people convey during assaults on Black communities (Johnson & Bryan, 2016), the Emanuel Church Massacre¹angered, traumatized, and confused me. On June 17, 2015, a 21-year-old armed White male, Dylann Roof, entered a predominantly Black historic church in the heart of downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Although I live in a different part of the state, Charleston is my home. Dylann worshipped with 12 church members including children who were attending a typical Wednesday night Bible study. After sitting through an entire hour-long worship service, he shot and killed nine of the 12 parishioners who had previously welcomed him that night with open arms.