Local Churches Use 'Juneteenth' To Discuss Charleston Shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – On a day meant to mark the end of slavery Minnesotans gathered to call for the end of attacks like those in Charleston.

The conversation starter during the annual "Juneteenth" celebration was how to help the people of South Carolina.

This year's "Juneteenth" Celebration marks the 150th anniversary of the day back in 1865 when slaves in Texas received word they were free.

They learned of their freedom two and half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

"Juneteenth" offers a day of reflection and renewal but for many this celebration was not what was in their hearts.

Most were focused on the massacre inside Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

"It's like a wake-up call," Charles Branch, pastor of the New Beginning Tabernacle Church of God and Christ in St. Paul, said.

Branch said the shooting of nine people inside the church made him realize the fight for justice and fairness isn't over.

"A terrorist attack that's what it was. It was a domestic terrorist attack," community activist Mel Reeves said.

While some agree with Reeves, there are others who consider the actions of 21-year-old Dillon Roof a hate crime.

Pastors and other church leaders said this attack on a house of worship is an assault on all that is good.

"Dillion Roof sat there for over an hour in the bible study with the people he intended to kill, so to me it's more than about race. This is about an evil in the heart of man," David Keaton, pastor of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, said.

While some try and enjoy this celebration of freedom there are just as many trying to figure out how to mend the hearts of those hurting.

"We as church members need to come together and pray," Branch said.

Prayer is what most congregations in the Twin Cities will be engaged in Sunday morning.

Sunday services in all AME churches across the Twin Cities will focus on the shootings in South Carolina.

There are also plans for a community forum at Wayman AME Church on Wednesday night to give people of all faiths time to come together to pray and figure out how they will help those directly impacted by the shootings.