On June 17, 2015, a young white man walked in Emanuel AME Church, in Charleston, South Carolina. A group of Black parishioners were having a Bible study and welcomed him into the church. After about an hour at the conclusion of the Bible study, while praying and holding hands, he killed nine of them.
Five people survived. My life was changed forever.
I’m now a gun violence prevention advocate, sought-after speaker and have written my first book. The most significant change in my life is I now never pray in public with my eyes closed.