As I'm sure you all know, nine lives were taken last week due to the hate and ignorance of one person at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. I personally did not know anyone who lost their lives that day. However, many of my close friends, as we are all from that area, were blessed to know some of those individuals and have been deeply saddened by the events that occurred.



This post is not to bring up debates regarding the social ramifications that the shooter caused after committing this hate crime. This post is also not to discuss whether or not this is a hate crime or whether the Confederate flag should hang on the South Carolina Statehouse grounds. This post is simply asking that those to read it pray for the souls of those individuals and for their families as they grieve during this hard time. Losing a loved one is hard enough. The circumstances in which they were taken and the international attention that came from it does not make it easier.