Residents of Charleston, South Carolina, refer to the Emanuel A.M.E. Church as "Mother Emanuel."
This week, a gunman allegedly motivated by racism killed nine people attending a Bible study at the church and attacked the mother, heart and crux of the rich and tragic history of America's black churches.
From slavery uprisings to the 1963 bombings of Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church to the string of arson attacks on black churches in the 1990s, The Atlantic reported that the black church has often been a target of racially motivated violence.
“What African-Americans see when they hear about this kind of violence being done in a black church … (is) this whole pattern of violence dating back to the 18th century of attacks against their churches,” said Laurie Maffly-Kipp, a professor of religion and American history at the University of Washington in St. Louis.
However, to many, Mother Emanuel serves as a reminder of the strength and resilience of African-Americans.
“It’s not just a church. It’s also a symbol … of black freedom,” Robert Greene, a professor at the University of South Carolina, told the Washington Post.
Emanuel's congregation was first formed in 1816, founded by worshippers escaping racism and slavery, according to various news outlets. In 1822, the church was burned to the ground for its connection with a thwarted slave revolt. It was rebuilt, but after an 1834 law banning all-black services, members of the congregation had to hold secret meetings for decades. The church was then destroyed by an earthquake in 1886. The building that is standing today, which was erected in 1891, served as a focal point throughout the civil rights' movement, a gathering place for speeches and organizing activists.
Curtiss DeYoung, a professor at Bethel University, discussed the importance of the black church in a 2011 research paper.
"During slavery the role of black churches was primarily one of survival and freedom," he wrote. "The black church proclaimed justice, peace and reconciliation."
This role of the black church continued through the centuries and prospered during the civil rights movement, with congregations serving as the crux of organizing movements.
Mother Emanuel is one of many black churches and congregations that continue to stand, holding immense importance for African-Americans and their history. Here is a list, gleaned from the website BlackPast.org, of other black churches in America with rich histories.
1. First African Baptist Church — Savannah, Georgia
The oldest black church in the U.S., the First African Baptist Church, was founded in 1777, according to BlackPast.org. One of the founders, David George, was a slave on the Galphin Plantation, and led worship services for the rest of the Galphin slaves in an empty barn.
2. First Missionary Baptist Church — Little Rock, Arkansas
Founded by a self-taught slave minister in 1845, First Missionary Baptist Church served as a house of worship for slaves and free blacks, as well as a social and political center throughout the decades. The church's 118th anniversary sermon was given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, according to BlackPast.org.
3. St. Andrews A.M.E. Church — Sacramento, California
St. Andrews A.M.E. Church, the first A.M.E. church and African-American religious congregation on the Pacific Coast, was founded in 1850, according to its website. The church hosted three of four California Colored Citizen's Conventions, and prides itself on being a prospering safe place for diverse communities.
4. Faith Congregational Church — Hartford, Connecticut
The Faith Congregational Church was founded in 1819 and quickly became a hot spot for anti-slavery activism and movements. In 1840, the church established a district school to provide education for African-American children, according to Hartford Heritage Trail.
5. Ezion-Mount Carmel United Methodist Church — Wilmington, Delaware
The oldest operating black church in Delaware, the Ezion-Mount Carmel United Methodist Church was first founded in 1789 in response to white Methodists' unwelcoming attitudes toward African-Americans. Originally unsegregated, black members of the congregation were treated unequally and decided to split, according to BlackPast.org.
6. St. Bartley Primitive Baptist Church — Huntsville, Alabama
The St. Bartley Primitive Baptist Church was founded by Elder William Harris in 1820, according to the church's website, and is recognized as Alabama's oldest black church.
Located in the Old Georgie Graveyard, the church held tremendous significant for the black community because it was the only land they were allowed to own.
"From this solemn site Elder William Harris delivered powerful spiritual sermons of encouragement and hopes for a people so severely oppressed under the heavy hand of cruel masters and evil men," the website said.
7. Salem Baptist Church — Alton, Illinois
The Salem Baptist Church's first congregants were free African-Americans who organized in 1819, according to the National Park Service. The church served as both a place of worship and a community center for blacks, providing social, civic and political support for the local black community.
8. Historic Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church — Lexington, Kentucky
The Historic Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church was first founded by a slave preacher in 1790, in association with the First African Baptist Church, according to BlackPast.org. The church participated in local campaigns advocating for desegregation in the 1900s, led by the Rev. Dr. William Jones.
9. Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church — Philadelphia
Founded by a former slave in 1794, the Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church was established in response to segregation in St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church, according to its website. The church provided refuge to runaway Jamaican slaves in 1975, hosted a meeting protesting the American Colonization Society, financially supported the Underground Railroad, and helped former slaves migrate to Philadelphia.
10. First Baptist Church — Petersburg, Virginia
The First Baptist Church first organized in 1756, when slaves and free black people congregated to worship together, according to BlackPast.org. During the civil rights era, the church held protest meetings, served as a meeting place for marches and was the center of voter registration activities.
Email: smikati@deseretnews.com