Columbia, S.C. (WACH) — Nearly a decade after the tragic events at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, Allen University is paying tribute to the nine lives lost in a racially motivated massacre. The university’s Boeing Institute on Civility unveiled busts representing the Emanuel 9, offering a poignant reminder of the individuals whose lives were cut short on June 17, 2015.
Brandon Risher, the grandchild of Ethel Lance, one of the victims, reflected on his grandmother’s legacy. “A loving spirit, first and foremost, she really cared for people she really wanted to make sure that people were okay,” he said. Risher noted the attention to detail in the busts, saying, “To see the care and the detail that was put in even just from the necklace and the little pendent was a great touch.”
Sharon Risher, Ethel Lance’s daughter, emphasized the memorial’s significance. “They will give incoming students and people who come to this space an actual opportunity to feel close to all of these people,” she said…