Charleston opens $25m memorial 11 years after church shooting killed nine Black worshippers

A permanent memorial honouring nine Black worshippers murdered in a racist attack at a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina, has opened more than 11 years after the shooting. Chris Singleton, whose mother was among those killed, said the new site gives him a place to visit whenever he wants to remember her. The Emanuel Nine Memorial was officially opened on Saturday, 14 November 2026, beside the historic Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. The project followed a major fundraising campaign that raised approximately $25 million (£19 million), according to the Associated Press (AP).Families of the victims, survivors and community leaders attended the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. Local broadcaster Live 5 News reported that people gathered to mark the opening of the memorial. The shooting took place on 17 June 2015, when a white supremacist opened fire during a Bible study session at the church. Nine people were killed: State Senator and Reverend Clementa Pinckney, Reverend Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Graham Hurd, Reverend Daniel Simmons, Reverend DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Myra Quarles Thompson, Ethel Lee Lance, Susie Jackson and Tywanza Sanders. Five others survived. The memorial honours those who died and provides a place for visitors to remember the victims and learn about the attack.A place of quiet reflectionThe memorial was designed to offer a peaceful place for remembrance and reflection.