Overview

• Communities held a series of remembrance services on June 17 and throughout the week, including the Emanuel Nine Day of Observance at Mother Emanuel AME Church
• Survivors such as Malana Pinckney and her sister Eliana reflected on personal milestones underscoring enduring grief and resilience
• Faith leaders and figures like Rabbi Jeff Myers, Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly delivered calls for hate crime laws and tighter gun regulations
• A stone memorial adjacent to Mother Emanuel is under construction and slated to open in early 2026 as a permanent tribute
• The 2015 shooting spurred the Confederate flag’s removal from the Statehouse, but community members say racial justice and gun reform remain urgent priorities