On this day ten years ago, nine Black Americans were brutally murdered while attending a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. To recognize the lives lost, DNC Chair Ken Martin issued the following statement: 

“On June 17, 2015, members of the Mother Emanuel AME Church were hosting a Bible study when tragedy struck. A stranger sitting in on the study opened fire on attendees in an act of racially motivated gun violence. Nine lives were lost that night, leaving the Charleston community and the nation utterly devastated.

“The Mother Emanuel AME Church has long stood as a symbol of resilience, history, and faith for the Black community of South Carolina. The targeted attack on the church illustrated the hate and racial prejudice that still lives within our country to this day. Democrats have worked tirelessly to try and defeat this hate and unify the American people as well as protect them from the threat of gun violence.

“Democrats remain committed to that fight even as Republicans repeatedly oppose steps toward progress. We must honor the memories of those killed at Mother Emanuel and so many others who have suffered by joining together to pass commonsense gun control laws.”