Fiscal Note
There is no fiscal impact.
Title
That the Common Council stands in solidarity with and support of the families of those slain at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, the church family and the community it serves.
Body
WHEREAS, Richard Allen, a former Delaware slave, purchased his freedom in 1760 and organized a “Free African Society” during the American Revolutionary era to help meet the needs of Philadelphia’s slave and free-black population; and
WHEREAS, in 1787, Richard Allen became the founder and first bishop of the historic African Methodist Episcopal Church as an autonomous denomination after a dramatic incident when Allen and a small band of black worshippers walked out of the white St. George Episcopal Church in Philadelphia in protest when they were pulled from the whites-only altar as they knelt in prayer; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Allen used his faith in the service of black people, whom he called "a people long forgotten"; and
WHEREAS, the African Methodist Episcopal Church has long served as a beacon of freedom and today has an international reach and membership of nearly 8 million people in 20 Episcopal Districts in 39 countries and on five continents; and
WHEREAS, the word African in the name of the church means it was organized by people of African descent and heritage, not that it was founded in Africa or that it was for persons of African descent only; and
WHEREAS, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, also known as “Mother Emanuel,” is the oldest black church in the South and one of the historic churches in our nation, and stands as a powerful example of the rich AME Church tradition and history of working for social justice, racial equality and civil rights; and
WHEREAS, on Wednesday, June 18, 2015, a 21-year old white man named Dylann Storm Roof sat for approximately one hour with members of Mother Emanuel who were assembled for Bible study, readin...
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