On the evening of June 17, a 21-year-old white man - whose name I will not state here - traveled roughly 120 miles to historic Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Congregants were attending a bible study, which they invited the young man to join. He did so for an hour, following which he opened fire on the congregants, while reportedly saying "you rape our women and are taking over our country." Nine lost their lives that evening.
In the aftermath of acts of mass violence, which are far too frequent in this country, there can exist a sense of bewilderment as to motive. For example, after a heavily armed 20-year-old man beset by mental health challenges murdered 27 people, including twenty first-graders, a prevailing sentiment was, why? Why innocent six-year-olds? Why this school? Why? The shooter took his own life before he could be captured, ensuring that his motive(s) will likely never be known.
There can be no such questioning, bafflement, or equivocation as to the impetus for this latest mass murder. Put plainly: this was racism. Deep-seated, systemic, violent racism. Again, the shooter reportedly told the black congregants, "you rape our women and are taking over our country." The perpetrator had previously posted to his Facebook page a picture of himself wearing a jacket bearing the flags of apartheid-era South Africa as well as Rhodesia, the name of the country now known as Zimbabwe that dates to when it was white-ruled. A picture has additionally surfaced of his getaway vehicle bearing the confederate flag with the words "Confederate States of America." The evidence supports the transparent racism of his actions, but in this case, the evidence is almost not even necessary; the shooter can be taken at his own words, the words he uttered as he gunned down innocent bible study participants.
This was an act of domestic terrorism. Dictionary.com defines terrorism in part as "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce." The shooter drove two hours from Lexington, near the capital city of Columbia, to Charleston to execute this crime. In addition, he specifically targeted Mother Emanuel on account of its deep historic significance to the black community in South Carolina's Lowcountry. He murdered nine people in their church, their safe place, their sanctuary.
It must also be mentioned that this was yet another heartwrenching incident of mass gun violence made possible by this country's gun culture and permissive gun laws resultant therefrom. President Obama, in a statement he delivered from the White House in the hours following the shooting, stated: "We do know that, once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun." The perpetrator reportedly told police that he purchased the gun he used in the Charleston attack in April, two months after he was arrested on felony drug possession charges. A background check, which the pro-gun lobby led by the National Rifle Association has long fought, may have revealed his felony arrest when he acquired the weapon. Had a background check prevented the perpetrator from procuring the weapon that day in April, he may have found alternate means of obtaining a gun. But the firearm vendor should have been required by law to perform the background check.
So, how to address the pervasive and dangerous cancer of racism in this country? I certainly do not claim to have all the answers. But acknowledging the problem is the necessary first step, and too many put their heads in the proverbial sand and search for reasons for the Charleston shooting other than the obvious one. Small steps can be implemented, and one in particular is long overdue and would make a big difference: the Confederate battle flag that flies at the South Carolina State Capitol in Columbia must, at long last, once and for all, be removed. The Confederate flag is a painful reminder to the black community of this nation's dark and violent history of slavery and suppression. The flag's presence at the Capitol represents South Carolina's endorsement of that history, no matter how much state officials argue otherwise. The flag should have been removed long ago, and every day it continues to stand is a slap in the face of the black community of South Carolina.
My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims in Charleston.
