Clementa C. Pinckney

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = The Reverend

| name = Clementa C. Pinckney

| image = Reverend Clementa Pinckney.jpg

| state_senate = South Carolina

| district = 45th

| term_start = January 2001

| term_end = June 17, 2015

| predecessor = McKinley Washington Jr.

| successor = Margie Bright Matthews

| state_house1 = South Carolina

| district1 = 122nd

| term_start1 = January 1997

| term_end1 = January 2001

| predecessor1 = Juanita Mitchell White

| successor1 = Thayer Rivers

| birth_name = Clementa Carlos Pinckney

| birth_date = {{birth date|1973|7|30}}

| birth_place = Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2015|6|17|1973|7|30}}

| death_place = {{nowrap|Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.}}

| death_cause = Assassination

| resting_place = Saint James Cemetery
Marion, South Carolina, U.S.

| party = Democratic

| spouse = Jennifer Benjamin

| children = 2

| alma_mater = Allen University (BA)
University of South Carolina (MPA)
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (M.Div.)
Wesley Theological Seminary

| module = {{Infobox religious biography

| embed = yes

| religion = Christian

| denomination =

| church = Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church

| post = Senior pastor (2010–2015)

}}

Clementa Carlos Pinckney{{efn|Pronounced "Clemen-tay"; nicknamed "Clem"{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Jason|title=The Clem Pinckney I Knew: Personal & Political Assassination in Charleston|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/essay-clementa-pinkney-i-knew-n378376|access-date=June 21, 2015|work=NBC News|date=June 19, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Weisman|first1=Jonathan|title=Killings Add a Painful Chapter to Storied History of Charleston Church|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/us/charleston-killings-evoke-history-of-violence-against-black-churches.html|access-date=June 18, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=June 18, 2015}}}} (July 30, 1973 – June 17, 2015) was an American politician and pastor who served as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 45th District from 2000 until his murder in 2015. He was previously a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1997 through 2000.

Pinckney was born to a large family with six siblings in Beaufort, South Carolina. He began preaching at church at age thirteen and was appointed pastor at age eighteen. He graduated from several universities, including Allen University, and the University of South Carolina. He was also educated at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, and the Wesley Theological Seminary.

In 1996, Pinckney became the youngest African-American man elected to the South Carolina General Assembly at the age of twenty-three. While serving in the Senate, Pinckney was an advocate for civil rights. He prominently supported body cameras after the death of Walter Scott, and gained controversy after holding a rally about his death. He also unsuccessfully proposed a bill that would display the Pan-African flag at the South Carolina State House.

Pinckney was also a senior pastor at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. in Charleston. In 2015, Pinckney was assassinated by white supremacist Dylann Roof in a racially motivated terrorist mass shooting at an evening Bible study at his church. President Barack Obama delivered the eulogy and sang "Amazing Grace" at Pinckney's funeral nine days later.

Early life and education

Clementa Carlos Pinckney was born on July 30, 1973, in Beaufort, South Carolina. His mother, Theopia Stevenson Aikens (née Brooms; 1945–2005), was an early childhood development educator, and his father, John Pinckney, was an auto mechanic.{{cite web|title=Theopia Stevenson Aikens - United States Social Security Death Index|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JK4R-QNR|website=FamilySearch|date=2005}}{{cite news|last1=Sack|first1=Kevin|title=Clementa Pinckney, Called to Pulpit and Politics in a Life Cut Short |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/26/us/clementa-pinckney-felt-called-to-spiritual-and-political-service.html|work=The New York Times|date=June 25, 2015}}{{cite news|title=Theopia Aikens Obituary|url=http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SCMARION/2005-11/1132060874|work=The Post and Courier}}{{cite web|url=http://www.scstatehouse.gov/member.php?code=1479545277|title=Senator Clementa C. Pinckney - Member Biography|work=South Carolina Legislature|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620231323/http://www.scstatehouse.gov/member.php?code=1479545277|archive-date=June 20, 2015|access-date=June 18, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} Pinckney had at least six brothers and sisters.{{cite news|title=Clementa Carlos Pinckney: Obituary|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestate/obituary.aspx?pid=175147838|access-date=12 November 2015|work=The State|date=24 June 2015}} He began preaching at his church at age 13 and, by age 18, he was appointed pastor.{{cite news|last1=Cleary|first1=Tom|date=June 18, 2015|title=Clementa Pinckney Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know|work=Heavy.com|url=http://heavy.com/news/2015/06/clementa-pinckney-dead-charleston-church-shooting-victim-black-church-pastor-ame-shot-injury/|access-date=June 17, 2015}}

Pinckney's maternal family, the Stevensons, has many generations of pastors in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC). His maternal great-grandfather, Reverend Lorenzo Stevenson, brought a lawsuit against the state's Democratic Party to end unintegrated primaries. During the Civil Rights Movement, Pinckney's maternal uncle, Reverend Levern Stevenson, worked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to desegregate school buses, and sued South Carolina Governor John C. West to create single-member districts to help elect more blacks into the South Carolina General Assembly.{{cite news|last1=Parker|first1=Adam|title=Leading from the pulpit|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20101128/ARCHIVES/311289929|work=The Post and Courier|date=November 28, 2010|access-date=June 18, 2015|archive-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307160605/http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20101128/ARCHIVES/311289929|url-status=dead}}

Pinckney's paternal family are based in the Beaufort, South Carolina, area and may be descendants of slaves owned by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, who was instrumental in framing the United States Constitution and was part of the Middleton-Rutledge-Pinckney family, a family that included many politicians. The Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge is where the plantation was located.{{cite web|title=Pinckney Island - National Wildlife Refuge|url=http://www.fws.gov/refuges//profiles/index.cfm?id=41629|website=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service|access-date=June 21, 2015}}{{cite web|title=Pinckney Island: National Wildlife Refuge - South Carolina -- About the Refuge|url=http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Pinckney_Island/about.html|website=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service|access-date=June 21, 2015}}

Pinckney went to Jasper County High School, where he was elected class president for two years.{{cite magazine|last1=Von Drehle|first1=David|last2=Newton-Small|first2=Jay|last3=Rhodan|first3=Maya|title=Howd Do You Forgive a Murder?|url=https://time.com/time-magazine-charleston-shooting-cover-story/|magazine=Time|date=12 November 2015}} He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Allen University in 1995 and went on to obtain a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of South Carolina in 1999.{{cite web|title=Clementa Pinckney's Biography|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/11972/clementa-pinckney#.VYKAJRNVhBc|website=Vote Smart}} He then received a Master of Divinity degree from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary.{{cite news|last1=Diebel|first1=Matthew|title=Slain S.C. pastor Clementa Pinckney was 'a giant, a legend'|url=http://www.religionnews.com/2015/06/18/slain-s-c-pastor-clementa-pinckney-was-a-giant-a-legend/|work=USA Today|date=June 18, 2015}}{{cite web|title=Reverend Clementa Pinckney - Pastor's Page|url=http://www.emanuelamechurch.org/revpinckney.php|website=Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821222515/http://www.emanuelamechurch.org/revpinckney.php|archive-date=August 21, 2015|df=mdy-all}} Pinckney was a student at Wesley Theological Seminary pursuing a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree at the time of his death.{{cite web|last1=McAllister-Wilson|first1=David|title=Mourning the Loss of the Rev. Pinckney and Church Members|url=https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/NewsandEvents/News/tabid/201/ID/225/Mourning-the-Loss-of-the-Rev-Pinckney-and-Church-Members.aspx|website=Wesley Seminary|date=June 18, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619050529/https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/NewsandEvents/News/tabid/201/ID/225/Mourning-the-Loss-of-the-Rev-Pinckney-and-Church-Members.aspx|archive-date=June 19, 2015|df=mdy-all}}

Career

= Religious career =

File:Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.jpg

Pinckney preached in Beaufort, Charleston, and Columbia.{{cite news|last1=Lurye|first1=Rebecca|title=Sen. Clementa Pinckney mourned in Jasper County hometown|url=http://www.islandpacket.com/2015/06/18/3801166_sen-clementa-pinckney-mourned.html?rh=1|access-date=June 18, 2015|work=The Beaufort Gazette|date=June 18, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619004709/http://www.islandpacket.com/2015/06/18/3801166_sen-clementa-pinckney-mourned.html?rh=1|archive-date=June 19, 2015|df=mdy-all}} He became pastor of Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2010.{{cite news|last1=Parker|first1=Adam|title=Mother Emanuel AME pastor follows in footsteps of 19th-century minister-lawmaker|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20101128/ARCHIVES/311289918|access-date=June 18, 2015|work=The Post and Courier|date=November 28, 2010|archive-date=June 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618160456/https://www.postandcourier.com/article/20101128/archives/311289918/|url-status=dead}} As part of his work, Pinckney oversaw 17 churches in the area.

In his leadership position at Mother Emanuel, Pinckney followed in the footsteps of Reverend Richard H. Cain and other AME church leaders, continuing a tradition of religious leaders serving in political positions with a focus on political activism in service to his community.{{cite news|last1=Calvert|first1=Scott|title=Slain Pastor Clementa Pinckney's Mission Suited His Storied Church|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/pastor-state-sen-clementa-pinckney-among-dead-in-charleston-shooting-1434638129|access-date=June 21, 2015|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=June 18, 2015}} Pinckney said he felt a deep connection between serving his community in politics in complement to his ministry work.{{cite news|last1=Rowe|first1=Charles R.|title=Opinion: Editorials: Clementa C. Pinckney|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150625/PC1002/150629611/1506/clementa-c-pinckney|access-date=June 25, 2015|work=The Post and Courier|date=June 25, 2015}} Historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. featured Pinckney in interviews for his award-winning PBS series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.{{cite news|last1=Gates, Jr.|first1=Henry Louis|title=Henry Louis Gates: If Clementa Pinckney Had Lived|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/opinion/henry-louis-gates-if-clementa-pinckney-had-lived.html|access-date=June 21, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=June 18, 2015}}{{cite web|title=Henry Louis Gates Remembers Rev. Pinckney|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/henry-louis-gates-remembers-rev-pickney/|website=PBS|access-date=June 21, 2015}}

Pinckney was among several South Carolina pastors to hold rallies after the shooting of Walter Scott in 2015, attracting some local controversy.

= Legislative career =

Pinckney was first elected to the South Carolina General Assembly in 1996 at the age of 23, becoming the youngest African American elected as a South Carolina state legislator.{{cite news|title=Local News - 20 Under 40: Clementa Pinckney 12/29/99|url=http://savannahnow.com/stories/122999/LOCpinckney.shtml#.VYKHFRNVhBc|access-date=June 18, 2015|work=Savannah Morning News|date=December 29, 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627041639/http://savannahnow.com/stories/122999/LOCpinckney.shtml#.VYKHFRNVhBc|archive-date=June 27, 2015|url-status=dead}} He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives until being elected to the South Carolina Senate in 2000. Pinckney was a Democrat{{cite web|title=Our members - Senator Clementa Pinckney: District 45 – Allendale, Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Hampton & Jasper Counties|url=http://www.scsenatedems.org/our-members/|website=South Carolina State Democratic Caucus|access-date=12 November 2015}} and was a member of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus.{{cite web|title=Member Details: Senator Clementa C. Pinckney|url=http://www.sclbc.org/member_details.php?member_id=15|website=South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus|access-date=12 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906225651/http://www.sclbc.org/member_details.php?member_id=15|archive-date=September 6, 2015|url-status=dead}} Pinckney represented Allendale, Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper Counties in South Carolina.{{cite web|title=South Carolina Senate District 45 - Map|url=http://www.scstatehouse.gov/maps/senate/Sen45.pdf|website=South Carolina Legislature|access-date=June 26, 2015}} At the time of his death, he was on the following Committees: Banking and Insurance, Corrections and Penology, Education, Finance, and Medical Affairs.

== Body cameras ==

File:Governor Haley signs body camera legislation (18518849729).jpg signs legislation requiring South Carolina police officers to wear body cameras.]]

As a state senator, Pinckney pushed for laws{{cite news|last1=McLeod|first1=Mayci|title=Vigil for Walter Scott: Prayers and a Demand for Change|url=http://counton2.com/2015/04/13/vigil-for-walter-scott-prayers-and-a-demand-for-change/|access-date=November 12, 2015|work=WCBD News 2|date=April 13, 2015}} to require police and other law enforcement officials to wear body cameras after Walter Scott, an unarmed black man, was shot eight times in the back by a police officer in North Charleston.{{cite news|last1=McLeod|first1=Mayci|title=Vigil for Walter Scott: Prayers and a Demand for Change|url=http://www.counton2.com/story/28783578/vigil-for-walter-scott-prayers-and-a-demand-for-change|access-date=June 21, 2015|work=WCBD-TV|date=April 12, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Boughton|first1=Melissa|title=Bishops bring together congregation in North Charleston to address police shootings|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150603/PC16/150609705|access-date=June 21, 2015|work=The Post and Courier|date=June 3, 2015}} In April 2015, Pinckney gave an impassioned speech{{cite news|last1=Pinckney|first1=Clementa C.|title=Remarks by Senator Pinckney|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0fDAKq9FDc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/z0fDAKq9FDc| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=November 12, 2015|work=South Carolina Senate|date=April 14, 2015}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|last1=Pinckney|first1=Clementa C.|title=Journal of the Senate of the State of South Carolina: Addendum: Remarks by Senator Pinckney|url=http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess121_2015-2016/sj15/20150505.htm?fwtext=|website=South Carolina General Assembly|access-date=12 November 2015|date=5 May 2015}} on the topic at the South Carolina Senate, citing the fact that national news had come to North Charleston because of the video tape of the incident.{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Jaeah|title=Murdered State Senator Clementa Pinckney Made This Haunting Speech About Walter Scott|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/06/south-carolina-state-senator-clementa-pinckney-speech-walter-scott-video|access-date=November 12, 2015|work=Mother Jones|date=June 18, 2015}}

== Pan-African flag ==

In 2001, Pinckney, along with senator Maggie Glover, proposed a bill for the black nationalist Pan-African flag to be displayed at the South Carolina State House. The bill planned for the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee to hang up the flag, however, faced sharp criticism for its association with black supremacist groups as well as the willingness of the flag's creator to work with the KKK.{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=28 February 2001|title=Senate Judiciary Committee Opens New Flag Controversy|work=The Times and Democrat|location=Orangeburg, South Carolina|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/345581865/?terms=Clementa%20Pinckney&match=1|access-date=9 January 2020|via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news|title= The "Garvey Must Go" Campaign|work=PBS|url=https://www.pbs.org/americanexperience/features/garvey-must-go-campaign/}}

Murder and funeral

File:Barack Obama delivers the eulogy at the funeral of Reverend Clementa Pinckney 2015-06-26.jpg

On the night of June 17, 2015, Pinckney was killed in the Charleston church shooting. He spent the earlier part of that day campaigning with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Charleston.{{cite news|last1=Sarlan|first1=Benjy|title=Nine dead in Charleston church massacre|url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/charleston-police-church-shooting|access-date=June 19, 2015|work=MSNBC}} That evening, he led a Bible study and prayer session at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where he was senior pastor. The shooter, Dylann Roof, specifically asked for Pinckney and later opened fire on the congregation, killing Pinckney and eight others.{{cite news|last1=Corsaniti|first1=Nick|last2=Pérez-Peña|first2=Richard|last3=Alvarez|first3=Lizette|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/us/charleston-church-shooting.html|title=Charleston Church Shooting Leaves 9 Dead; Gunman Is Sought|work=The New York Times|date=June 18, 2015|access-date=June 18, 2015}} While the FBI investigated the mass shooting as a hate crime,{{cite news|title=Tragedy strikes Charleston, South Carolina|url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/tragedy-strikes-charleston-south-carolina|access-date=June 18, 2015|work=MSNBC|date=June 18, 2015}} which NBC 5's Eric King considered the attack a racially motivated act of terrorism, and criticized law enforcement and the media for not labeling it as such.{{cite web|last1=Cheney-Rice|first1=Zak|date=June 18, 2015|title=There's One Word the Media Isn't Using When Talking About the Charleston Shooter|url=https://www.mic.com/articles/120937/why-charleston-church-shooting-was-act-of-terrorism|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620220852/http://mic.com:80/articles/120937/why-charleston-church-shooting-was-act-of-terrorism |archive-date=June 20, 2015 |access-date=June 18, 2015|website=Heavy.com}}{{cite web|last1=Workneh|first1=Lilly|title=Why Recognizing The Charleston Church Shooting As An Act Of Racially Motivated Terrorism Is Only The First Step|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/18/charleston-church-shooting-race_n_7609640.html|website=Huffington Post|date=June 18, 2015|access-date=June 18, 2015}}

On June 24, 2015, there was a public viewing of Pinckney's casket in the rotunda lobby of the State Capitol Senate Chamber where Pinckney served in the South Carolina legislature, and where his body lay in state.{{cite news|last1=Associated Press|title=Viewing Held for Pinckney|url=https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000003761861/viewing-held-for-pinckney.html|access-date=June 25, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=June 24, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Knapp|first1=Andrew|last2=Roldan|first2=Cynthia|title=Thousands pay respects to slain pastor lying in state under Capitol dome|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150624/PC16/150629673|access-date=June 25, 2015|work=The Post and Courier|date=June 25, 2015}} Public viewings were held at St. John AME Church in Ridgeland, South Carolina, and Mother Emanuel in Charleston, South Carolina. A funeral was held on June 26, 2015, at the College of Charleston in TD Arena, which was filled up to maximum capacity,{{cite news|last1=Parker|first1=Adam|last2=Smith|first2=Glenn|last3=Berry Hawes|first3=Jennifer|title=Mourners, politicians reflect as they gather for Pinckney funeral|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150626/PC16/150629502|access-date=June 27, 2015|work=The Post and Courier|date=June 26, 2015}} necessitating a viewing center with a video feed at the Charleston Museum.{{cite news|last1=Staff and agencies in South Carolina|title=Charleston shooting: Clementa Pinckney's casket to lie at State House|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/21/charleston-shooting-senators-funeral-planned-amid-confederate-flag-protests|access-date=June 21, 2015|work=The Guardian|agency=The Associated Press|date=June 21, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Monk|first1=John|title=Pinckney's casket to be in State House Wednesday; other funeral plans announced|url=http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article25072327.html|access-date=June 21, 2015|work=The State|date=June 20, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=CBS/AP|title=Obama among thousands at funeral for Charleston shooting victim|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/funeral-for-charleston-shooting-victim-rev-clementa-pinckney-draws-thousands-obama/|access-date=June 27, 2015|work=CBS News|agency=Associated Press|date=June 26, 2015}} President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Jill Biden, and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, among many other politicians and public figures, attended the funeral, with Obama giving the eulogy.{{cite news|last1=Baker|first1=Peter|title=Obama and Biden to Attend Funeral for Clementa Pinckney|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/us/obama-and-biden-to-attend-funeral-for-clementa-pinckney.html|access-date=June 25, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=June 22, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Staff|title=Charleston police asking for patience, planning during Sen. Pinckney's funeral|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150625/PC16/150629596|access-date=June 25, 2015|work=The Post and Courier|date=June 25, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Obama|first1=Barack|title=Remarks by the President in Eulogy for The Honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/assets/pdf/CP13381626.pdf|access-date=June 26, 2015|work=The Post and Courier|date=June 26, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Obama|first1=Barack|title=Obama speaks at Clementa Pinckney funeral – read the eulogy in full|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/26/obama-clementa-pinckney-funeral-eulogy|access-date=February 9, 2018|work=The Guardian|date=June 26, 2015}}{{Cite news |date=2023 |title=South Carolina Governor Haley hugs Democratic Presidential candidate Clinton at the funeral of South Carolina State Senator and Rev, Clementa Pinckney |work=UPI |url=https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/21b783b6dd24877c8732f95a61f2b997/South-Carolina-Governor-Haley-hugs-Democratic-Presidential-candidate-Clinton-at-the-funeral-of-South-Carolina-State-Senator-and-Rev-Clementa-Pinckney/ |access-date=August 10, 2023}} During the eulogy, Obama sang the opening stanza of "Amazing Grace".{{cite news|title=Boehner Joins Obama on Air Force One|url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/funeral-of-rev-clementa-c-pinckney-live-updates/boehner-joins-obama/|access-date=June 26, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=June 26, 2015 }}

= Aftermath =

As a result of the shooting, in July 2015, the South Carolina Legislature enacted legislation to take down the Confederate flag flying in front of the South Carolina State House and move it to the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum.{{cite web|title=S 0897 General Bill|url=http://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=897&session=121&summary=B|website=South Carolina Legislature|access-date=July 7, 2015|date=July 7, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Roldan|first1=Cynthia|title='New day in South Carolina': House votes to take down Confederate flag|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150708/PC1603/150709494|access-date=July 9, 2015|work=The Post and Courier|date=July 8, 2015}} The shooter had previously posed in front of and posted images of a similar flag on his website. Pinckney's widow attended the session during the final vote to thank her husband's colleagues for their support.{{cite news|last1=Roldan|first1=Cynthia|last2=Knich|first2=Diane|title=Confederate flag's defenders to make last stand in House|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150707/PC1603/150709561/confederate-flag-x2019-s-defenders-to-make-last-stand-in-house|access-date=July 7, 2015|work=The Post and Courier|date=July 7, 2015}}

File:Clementa Pinckney Portrait.jpg Portrait of slain South Carolina Senator, Clementa Pinckney, in the South Carolina Senate chamber.]]

In June 2015, the family of Pinckney established the Clementa C. Pinckney Foundation to support poor families in the South Carolina Lowcountry region. Jennifer Pinckney, his wife, Senator Gerald Malloy, who served with Pinckney in the Senate, and Reverend Kylon Jerome Middleton, Ph.D., Pinckney's best friend, established the foundation in Pinckney's honor to support educational, health, pastoral training, and charitable causes.{{cite news|last1=Gatson|first1=Judi|title=South Carolina Comes Together|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaY0ohG7j8U |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/VaY0ohG7j8U| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=November 12, 2015|publisher=WIS TV|date=July 30, 2015}}{{cbignore}} In July 2015, Mother Emanuel, in response to anonymous donations of more than $3 million,{{cite news|last1=Blinder|first1=Alan|title=Anonymous Donors Give Over $3 Million for Charleston Scholarship Fund|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/03/us/anonymous-donors-give-over-3-million-for-charleston-scholarship-fund.html?_r=1|access-date=November 12, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=July 2, 2015}} established The Reverend Pinckney Scholarship Fund, which was created to support education scholarship for church members, victims of the shooting and their extended families.{{cite web|last1=Vaughn|first1=Barbara|title=Donors Announce Reverend Pinckney Scholarship Fund|url=http://www.charleston-sc.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/188|website=City of Charleston, South Carolina|access-date=November 12, 2015|date=July 2, 2015}} The initial fund was overseen by Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr, historian and educator Henry Louis Gates Jr and investment banker William M. Lewis Jr.

In August 2015, the Charleston County School District decided to name new Charleston County middle school Simmons-Pinckney Middle School, in honor of both Pinckney and blacksmith Philip Simmons.{{cite news|last1=Schmeyer|first1=Elsa|title=Lowcountry school name to honor local blacksmith, Emanuel 9 victim|url=http://www.live5news.com/story/29794021/lowcountry-school-name-to-honor-local-blacksmith-emanuel-9-victim|access-date=November 12, 2015|publisher=WCSC-TV|date=August 15, 2015}}

In May 2016, a portrait by South Carolina artist Larry Francis Lebby was unveiled in a ceremony in the South Carolina Senate chambers.{{Cite news |last=Rolo |first=Lara |date=May 25, 2016 |title=Rev. Clementa Pinckney's portrait unveiled in S.C. Senate |work=KATV |url=https://katv.com/news/nation-world/senate-unveiling-portrait-of-slain-sen-clementa-pinckney-05-25-2016 |access-date=August 9, 2023}}

On August 8, 2019, the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted a resolution to recognize Clementa C. Pinckney and the Emanuel 9 as martyrs on their liturgical calendar and declare June 17 as "a day of repentance in the ELCA for the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9."{{cite web |title=Establishing June 17 as Emanuel 9 Commemoration and Day of Repentance |url=https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Establishing_June_17th_as_Emanuel_9_Commemoration_and_Day_of_Repentance.pdf?_ga=2.100210782.1179067259.1595009028-1387673813.1584552718 |website=ELCA.org |access-date=17 July 2020}}{{cite web |title=Commemoration of the Emanuel Nine — June 17 |url=https://www.elca.org/emanuelnine |website=ELCA.org |access-date=17 July 2020}} At the time of the shooting, Dylann Roof was a member of an ELCA congregation.{{cite web |title=ELCA leaders express grief over shooting in South Carolina |url=https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7753 |website=ELCA.org |access-date=17 July 2020}} The Rev. Clementa Pinckney was a graduate of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, a seminary of the ELCA.

In 2020, Allen University announced that their renovation of the Good Samaritan Waverly Hospital would include a memorial that will prominently feature the names of Pinckney and the other eight individuals slain at Emanual African Methodist Episcopal Church.{{Cite news |last=Wakeman |first=Emily |date=January 21, 2020 |title=Allen University breathes new life into hospital once used to serve African Americans in segregation-era |work=WIS-TV |url=https://www.wistv.com/2020/01/22/allen-university-breathes-new-life-into-hospital-once-used-serve-african-americans-segregation-era/ |access-date=December 2, 2023}}

Personal life

In 1999, Pinckney married Jennifer Pinckney (née Benjamin) in Augusta, Georgia. They met while he was at Allen University and she was at the University of South Carolina.{{cite news|title=Wedding bells don't signal end of Pinckney's political career|url=http://savannahnow.com/stories/102099/CMNbells.shtml#.VYJ95RNVhBd|work=Savannah Morning News|date=October 20, 1999|access-date=June 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712123128/http://savannahnow.com/stories/102099/CMNbells.shtml#.VYJ95RNVhBd|archive-date=July 12, 2015|url-status=dead}} The couple lived in Ridgeland, South Carolina, with their two daughters, Eliana Yvette Pinckney{{cite web|last1=Matthews Jr.|first1=Senator John W.|title=S. 912|url=http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess116_2005-2006/bills/912.htm|website=South Carolina General Assembly|date=December 4, 2009}} and Malana Elise Pinckney.{{cite web|last1=The White House|date=June 26, 2015|title=President Obama Delivers a Eulogy in Honor of Reverend Pinckney|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/photos-and-video/video/2015/06/26/president-delivers-honors-life-reverend-clementa-pinkney|access-date=June 26, 2015|website=The White House}}{{cite web|last1=Many South Carolina Senators|title=S. 825|url=http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess118_2009-2010/bills/825.htm|website=South Carolina General Assembly|date=May 13, 2009}} Pinckney was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.{{cite web|last1=Watch The Yard|title=Alpha Phi Alpha Brother, Rev Clementa C. Pinckney Among Those Killed In Charleston Church Shooting|url=http://www.watchtheyard.com/alphas/alpha-phi-alpha-rev-clementa-pinckney-killed/|website=Watch The Yard|access-date=June 18, 2015|date=June 18, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619015803/http://www.watchtheyard.com/alphas/alpha-phi-alpha-rev-clementa-pinckney-killed/|archive-date=June 19, 2015|df=mdy-all}} Pinckney was named in honor of the baseball player Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates due to his mother's love of baseball. During his eulogy, multiple friends and family pronounced his first name as "Clemen-tay". Pinckney was the cousin of the businessman and conservative commentator Armstrong Williams.{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Armstrong|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/12/mass-killings-of-americans-backfire-on-evil-hate-f/|title=Mass killings of Americans backfire on evil, hate, fear|website=The Washington Times|access-date=June 13, 2016}}

Pinckney was buried in Marion, South Carolina,{{cite news|last1=McFadden|first1=Naeem|title=Hundreds of Marion County residents pay tribute to Sen. Pinckney|url=http://www.scnow.com/news/article_fa3446ba-1c72-11e5-8642-eb0d143d3236.html|access-date=November 12, 2015|work=The Morning News|date=June 26, 2015}} at the St. James AME Cemetery.

Notes

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20150620231323/http://www.scstatehouse.gov/member.php?code=1479545277 Senator Clementa C. Pinckney] at South Carolina Legislature
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150821222515/http://www.emanuelamechurch.org/revpinckney.php Reverend Clementa Pinckney] at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church
[http://senatorpinckney.org/ The Honorable Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney Foundation]
[http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150705191430/http%3A//www.pinckneyfund.org/ Reverend Pinckney Scholarship Fund] at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church
[https://web.archive.org/web/20160201214804/http://palmettoproject.org/lowcountry-ministries-fund/ Lowcountry Ministries Fund] at [http://palmettoproject.org/ Palmetto Project]