Lindsey Graham And Tim Scott Honor Victims On 10th Anniversary Of Mother Emanuel Shooting

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During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Mother Emanuel shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.

Transcript

00:00Senator from South Carolina. Thank you. I'm on the floor today with my good friend and

00:08colleague, Senator Scott. He has a resolution commemorating the 10th anniversary of the

00:15Mother Emanuel church shooting. June 17th is the 10th anniversary, and I just want to thank Tim

00:23for all he's done for that church and for the victims of that horrible day. You've been a real

00:29inspiration to the church and to the state, and I'm glad to join with you here today.

00:36It's the oldest black congregation in our state, opened in 1816. The man who did this, Dylan

00:46Ruth, killed nine people, seriously wounded another. He is facing the death penalty. His

00:56goal was to go into that church, invited in, by the way, and shoot people in a house of

01:04worship, African Americans, try to start a race war. He failed pretty miserably. People

01:12in South Carolina embrace Mother Emanuel, the victims. We love the church, the church family,

01:19and I'm proud of how our state has rallied around this horrific event. And to the people who've

01:29lost their loved ones, there's a hole in your life that can never be filled. The senseless

01:35act of violence motivated by sheer hate and bigotry devastated your life. But I do want to let everybody

01:44in the country know Mother Emanuel is still standing, stronger than ever. The people of South Carolina

01:53came together in a way that I haven't seen in a long time. And out of this horrible, terrible tragedy,

02:00I think, were stronger than we were before. This involved a man who had serious issues, was

02:12able to get a gun in violation of existing law about background checks. We finally reached

02:19a settlement with the victims. And that was done a few years ago. So the lessons learned

02:27for me from this horrible event is that there's no safe place when it comes to bigotry and hate.

02:36The churches all over the country, synagogues, house of worships, now have armed guards. I hate

02:43we are where we are. But as we look back over the last decade and how this has affected the

02:52people of Mother Emanuel and our state, I'm here to tell you that that church is stronger

02:58than it's ever been. To the victims and their families, the hole that's been placed in your

03:04life by this senseless act of violence can never be fully filled. But we're trying to do our best

03:10to fill that void. And to my good friend Senator Scott, thank you so much for your leadership from day

03:16one. And 10 years later, because of your leadership, we're remembering on the floor of the United

03:23States Senate that tragic day. And I'm just honored to call you my friend and colleague.

03:30Then I yield.

03:34Thank you, Mr. President. Let me first thank Senator Graham for your thoughtful comments and

03:37frankly, standing with with me and frankly, more importantly, standing with our family of South

03:43Carolina as we faced one of the horrific challenges our state has ever faced in the history of a state

03:50that is a very provocative history on race. It is a rare moment when searing pain and disbelief

03:57leaves an unforgettable, yet undeniable impression on both your heart and your mind. 9-11 was one of those

04:06occasions. I remember exactly where I was on that fateful day. June 17th, today, 10 years ago, 2015, was another

04:19one of those days. I will never forget sitting in my bed when I received the news that there had been a

04:27shooting in my hometown of Charleston where ultimately nine African Americans attending a Bible study at Mother

04:38Emanuel AME Church would be murdered. Murdered for the simple reason that they were black. No other reason.

04:49David. Invited in to a Bible study was the murderer. With open arms, they welcomed him in. And for 90 minutes

05:05or so, he sat through a Bible study, listening and watching as these Christian souls

05:16Dr. Emanuel AME Church talked about and then prayed, including him.

05:22Dr. Emanuel AME Church

05:24This atrocity that was carried out in an attempt to start a race war, a second race war,

05:33at the birthplace of the Civil War, changed the landscape and frankly the heart, not only of Charleston,

05:43South Carolina, those members of Mother Emanuel Church, but our entire state and nation.

05:51But even in the face of such an atrocity, in the face of such grief, 36 hours after this horrific

06:01shooting, representatives from every single family looked into the eyes of the murderer

06:12and simply said what needed to be said.

06:24I forgive you.

06:25Thinking back on the power of our scriptures, Matthew 5, 44 reminds us to love those who

06:34persecute us, to pray for those who persecute us and to love our enemies, and to think about

06:42the capacity of love of nine family members to turn away from the grief and the pain and

06:51the misery and turn towards love, to say to the person who just executed the person they

07:07loved dearly, we forgive you.

07:16The power of that moment started healing our nation, caught up in racial tension and violence,

07:30healed our nation in a way that nothing else can do.

07:35Sometimes fire can't meet fire.

07:39Sometimes hate can't meet hate.

07:42Sometimes the only thing that brings healing and restoration, or at least begins it, is

07:50meeting hate with love.

07:54I won't ever forget the Wednesday, one week later, I was coming on this floor to give a

08:00speech, and I was talking to Daniel Simmons, Jr., whose father was one who was executed on

08:07that fateful day, his father, Daniel Simmons, Jr., and I asked Daniel Simmons, Jr., what would

08:16you want me to say to the nation if they are listening as I go out and talk?

08:23He said, please remind them of Romans 8, 28, that somehow, someway, all things work for good.

08:34I got to tell you, had I been in his shoes, I do not believe I would have had the strength,

08:49the conviction, the clarity of mind to find good in the midst of that tragedy.

08:58But it is the message of hope that we needed then, and I believe it is the message of hope

09:05we need now.

09:07I am personally forever grateful to those family members, the family members of the nine,

09:16who simply chose forgiveness in the face of something I pray none of us have to experience.

09:28Their example of a faith-filled hope in the wake of tragedy and loss not only inspired me

09:34still, it inspired our nation, and I pray that it continues to lead us in the direction of

09:40reconciliation.

09:42As we honor those who are no longer with us, we must never be driven by our pain, our division,

09:52or our fear.

09:53However, I would like to have a moment of silence for the Emanuel Nine and their families.

10:06Reverend Clemente Pinckney, Cynthia Hurd, Reverend Sharonda Coleman Singleton, Tawanza Sanders,

10:23Ethel Lance, Susie Jackson, Reverend Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Reverend Daniel Simmons Sr., and

10:42Myra Thompson.

10:44May America, the greatest nation on the planet, always strive to live up to our highest ideal,

11:00the ideal that we are all created equal, that we all share the same bloodline, that we are

11:07all a part of the same family, the family of God.

11:13Therefore, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding Rule 22, I ask unanimous consent

11:20that the Senate proceed to the consideration of SRES 282, submitted earlier today.

11:27The Clerk will report.

11:29Senate Resolution 282, commemorating June 17, 2025, as the 10th anniversary of the Mother Emanuel

11:38AME Church shooting.

11:40Is there an objection to proceeding to the measure?

11:46Without objection, the Senate will proceed.

11:48I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that

11:54the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening

12:00action or debate.

12:02Without objection.

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