Congressman Al Green Attends the Funeral of South Carolina State Senator Reverend Clementa Pinckney in Charleston, South Carolina

Press Release

On Friday, June 26, 2015, Congressman Al Green (TX-9) traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to attend the funeral of South Carolina State Senator Reverend Clementa Pinckney. Reverend Pinckney was murdered along with eight other people during Bible Study at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015. Congressman Al Green joined other elected officials and dignitaries at the funeral to hear President Obama eulogize the Reverend Pinckney.

"As we stand in solidarity with the congregation of Charleston's historic Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, we should be inspired by the grace and compassion of those who have suffered so much. My hope is that the faith, dignity, and strength to forgive shown by the families of the victims will be a catalyst for positive change in our country," Congressman Al Green said. "I believe we must reject the relics of a divisive past, which impede positive progress in the present, and are blights on the dream of a better future. We must also reexamine the symbols we have come to take for granted and the divisive messages that they convey. We should embrace Mother Emanuel, which is a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement, a symbol of work left undone, and a symbol of the type of attitude we will need to rededicate ourselves to the cause of freedom and equality for all."

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