I just got a letter from Charles Chamberlain, Democracy for America. It suggested a donation to the Emanuel AME Church. I was going to send a card, but I worried that opening (possibly negative) mail at this time of sorrow would be just another burden. I cannot afford very much, but I sent what would have been the price of a card. They take Paypal. I read their website a bit, and they are trying to raise money for an elevator.
Let's buy them a couple of elevators, what do you say?
Here is the letter from Mr. Chamberlain:
Kim --
On Wednesday night, a horrifying act of anti-black domestic terrorism was perpetrated at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
A young white man named Dylann Roof walked into a Bible study in the oldest historically black church in the American South. For an hour, he sat with the assembled church-goers. Roof read with them. He prayed with them.
And then he unloaded his gun on them, reloading it not just once, but five times. Roof killed nine black people, including the church's pastor -- State Senator Clementa Pinckney.
This was not an isolated incident. While it was sickening, it shouldn't be shocking to anyone familiar with American history or anti-black terrorism -- a plague that has been with us from our country's earliest days and has destroyed more black lives than we could ever begin to count.
The FBI defines domestic terrorism as a violent act "intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population." One of the few survivors of the shooting described hearing Roof make a statement before he began to fire his gun: "You rape our women and you're taking over our country. And you have to go."
The collective "you" Roof was referring to wasn't limited to the black men, women and children worshipping together in that room. He was sending a message of fear and intimidation -- loaded with white supremacy, dripping with the worst kind of historical precedent -- to every single black person in our country.
Now more than ever, it is up to us to stand with the black community in solidarity and to show other would-be terrorists -- and those who share their toxic views -- that we will not tolerate their racial hate.
The very first thing we can do to undermine the intended effects of this act of terror is to support those who are hurting most in its aftermath -- the Emanuel AME church and the community it serves. We hope that Democracy for America members like you will contribute directly to the church as a small but meaningful method of expressing your support.
Please make a contribution now to the Emanuel AME Church to support the church community in the aftermath of this vicious attack. (Click here to access the church's web site and then click on the "Donate" button.)
Anti-black terrorism is not a new thing in the United States. In fact, the very first anti-terrorist law passed in this country was called the "Ku Klux Klan Act," and it was designed to stem the tide of calculated murders, lynchings and acts of violence committed by the KKK across the south during Reconstruction. We all remember the firebombing of black churches during the civil rights movement of the 1960's, and again in the 1990's.
Time and time again, white supremacists have lashed out by striking at the very heart and soul of many black communities: The sacred houses of worship where people go to find a spiritual and emotional sanctuary.
And to compound the injustice, this isn't the first time the Emanuel AME Church has been the site of an anti-black atrocity -- making this act of terror an attack against the very history and existence of the church itself, as the South Carolina Progressive Network pointed out in the aftermath of the attack:
"The church, one of the oldest black congregations in the nation, has a history that reflects the violence of our state's racist heritage. Denmark Vesey was one of the founders of the church in 1818 and the leader of a Charleston slave rebellion in 1822. Vesey and 34 others were hung for their role in the rebellion in which no white people were injured. The church was burned during the Vesey trial, and in 1834 the state outlawed all black churches."
Over the coming days and weeks, we will hear many different "explanations" for what happened on Wednesday night. People will express surprise, shock and confusion. They will blame the guns and the parents and the schools -- and all of these factors may indeed have influenced Roof's decision and ability to walk into that church with a loaded weapon.
But in this moment, it is our responsibility to remember what this means in the context of the history of this country. We should never forget to call this act what it is: An act of terrorism, designed to strike fear into the heart of every black American, committed with the intention of subverting and undermining our democratic system.
If we as a progressive movement are going to be true to our values, it is up to us to stand up to white supremacy -- whether it is violently expressed in an act of terror or built into a system that consistently treats black people as disposable, that incarcerates and abuses them, and that traps them in poverty.
It is up to us, right now, to stop waiting for the arc of the moral universe to bend. Together, we must take action to bend it.
Please contribute now to the Emanuel AME Church to support this historic church and the community it serves. (Click here to access the church's web site and then click on the "Donate" button.)
Thank you for joining us in standing up to racial injustice in this heartbreaking moment, and in the days and weeks to come.
- Charles
Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director
Democracy for America
Here is the link for the church:
http://act.democracyforamerica.com/...