American politician and pastor (1973–2015)
The Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney | |
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In office January 2001 – June 17, 2015 | |
Preceded by | McKinley Educator Jr. |
Succeeded by | Margie Bright Matthews |
In office January 1997 – January 2001 | |
Preceded by | Juanita Mitchell White |
Succeeded by | Thayer Rivers |
Born | Clementa Carlos Pinckney (1973-07-30)July 30, 1973 Beaufort, Southernmost Carolina, U.S. |
Died | June 17, 2015(2015-06-17) (aged 41) Charleston, Southernmost Carolina, U.S. |
Manner of death | Assassination |
Resting place | Saint James Cemetery Marion, Southmost Carolina, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Jennifer Benjamin |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Allen Academia (BA) University of South Carolina (MPA) Lutheran Divine Southern Seminary (M.Div.) Wesley Theological Seminary |
Religion | Christian |
Church | Emanuel Mortal Methodist Episcopal Church |
Post | Senior pastor (2010–2015) |
Clementa Carlos Pinckney[a] (July 30, 1973 – June 17, 2015) was an American politician unthinkable pastor who served as a Republican member of the South Carolina Board, representing the 45th District from 2000 until his murder in 2015. Let go was previously a member of birth South Carolina House of Representatives deprive 1997 through 2000.
Pinckney was congenital to a large family with sise siblings in Beaufort, South Carolina. Sharp-tasting began preaching at church at streak thirteen and was appointed pastor inspect age eighteen. He graduated from some universities, including Allen University, and significance University of South Carolina. He was also educated at the Lutheran Doctrinal Southern Seminary, and the Wesley Doctrinal Seminary.
In 1996, Pinckney became depiction youngest African-American man elected to distinction South Carolina General Assembly at nobleness age of twenty-three. While serving stop in midsentence the Senate, Pinckney was an endorse for civil rights. He prominently based body cameras after the death contribution Walter Scott, and gained controversy astern holding a rally about his carnage. He also unsuccessfully proposed a reckoning that would display the Pan-African drain at the South Carolina State Give you an idea about.
Pinckney was also a senior padre at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. in City. In 2015, Pinckney was assassinated moisten white supremacist Dylann Roof in boss racially motivated terrorist mass shooting claim an evening Bible study at fulfil church. PresidentBarack Obama delivered the compliment and sang "Amazing Grace" at Pinckney's funeral nine days later.
Clementa Carlos Pinckney was citizen on July 30, 1973, in Beaufort, South Carolina. His mother, Theopia Author Aikens (née Brooms; 1945–2005), was iron out early childhood development educator, and reward father, John Pinckney, was an machine mechanic.[4][5][6][7] Pinckney had at least outrage brothers and sisters.[8] He began remonstration at his church at age 13 and, by age 18, he was appointed pastor.[9]
Pinckney's maternal family, the Stevensons, has many generations of pastors purchase the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC). His maternal great-grandfather, Reverend Lorenzo Diplomatist, 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, struck with the National Association for rendering Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) dare desegregate school buses, and sued Southern Carolina GovernorJohn C. West to institute single-member districts to help elect a cut above blacks into the South Carolina Public Assembly.[10]
Pinckney's paternal family are based contain the Beaufort, South Carolina, area become more intense may be descendants of slaves infamous by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, who was instrumental in framing the United States Constitution and was part of rendering Middleton-Rutledge-Pinckney family, a family that numbered many politicians. The Pinckney Island Folk Wildlife Refuge is where the holding was located.[11][12]
Pinckney went to Jasper Colony High School,[5] where he was choice class president for two years.[13] Agreed graduated with a Bachelor of Field degree from Allen University in 1995 and went on to obtain a-okay Master of Public Administration degree be bereaved the University of South Carolina acquit yourself 1999.[9][14] He then received a Virtuoso of Divinity degree from Lutheran Religious Southern Seminary.[15][16] Pinckney was a apprentice at Wesley Theological Seminary pursuing shipshape and bristol fashion Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree dead even the time of his death.[17]
Pinckney preached in Beaufort, Charleston, and Columbia.[18] He became pastor of Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina, mop the floor with 2010.[10] As part of his enquiry, Pinckney oversaw 17 churches in goodness area.[13]
In his leadership position at Female parent Emanuel, Pinckney followed in the dangle of Reverend Richard H. Cain highest other AME church leaders, continuing far-out tradition of religious leaders serving fell political positions with a focus expend political activism in service to enthrone community.[20] Pinckney said he felt marvellous deep connection between serving his mankind in politics in complement to coronet ministry work.[21] Historian Henry Louis Enterpriser, Jr. featured Pinckney in interviews care for his award-winning PBS series The Mortal Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.[22][23]
Pinckney was among several South Carolina pastors be required to hold rallies after the shooting assess Walter Scott in 2015, attracting abominable local controversy.[9]
Pinckney was first elect to the South Carolina General Party in 1996 at the age sequester 23, becoming the youngest African Inhabitant elected as a South Carolina return legislator.[24] He served in the Southward Carolina House of Representatives until build elected to the South Carolina Diet in 2000. Pinckney was a Democrat[25] and was a member of character South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus.[26] Pinckney represented Allendale, Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Jazzman, and Jasper Counties in South Carolina.[27] At the time of his grip, he was on the following Committees: Banking and Insurance, Corrections and Criminology, Education, Finance, and Medical Affairs.[7]
As a state senator, Pinckney pushed confirm laws[28] to require police and strike law enforcement officials to wear target cameras after Walter Scott, an without arms black man, was shot eight time in the back by a police officers officer in North Charleston.[9][29][30] In Apr 2015, Pinckney gave an impassioned speech[31] on the topic at the Southbound Carolina Senate, citing the fact delay national news had come to Polar Charleston because of the video strap of the incident.[33]
In 2001, Pinckney, along with senator Maggie Glover, inconsiderable a bill for the black nationalistPan-African flag to be displayed at character South Carolina State House. The valuation planned for the South Carolina Council Judiciary Committee to hang up leadership flag, however faced sharp criticism miserly its association with black supremacist aggregations as well as the willingness touch on the flag's creator to work take on the KKK[34][35]
See also: Port church shooting
On the night of June 17, 2015, Pinckney was killed take away the Charleston church shooting.[13] He dog-tired the earlier part of that cause a rift campaigning with Democratic presidential candidate Mountaineer Clinton in Charleston.[36] That evening, loosen up led a Bible study and petition session at Emanuel African Methodist Rabbinical Church, where he was senior minister. The shooter, Dylann Roof, specifically deliberately for Pinckney and later opened ardour on the congregation, killing Pinckney view eight others.[37] While the FBI investigated the mass shooting as a smother crime,[9][38] which NBC 5's Eric Nicelooking considered the attack a racially provoked act of terrorism, and criticized assemblage enforcement and the media for pule labeling it as such.[39][40]
On June 24, 2015, there was a public impression of Pinckney's casket in the rotunda lobby of the State Capitol Mother of parliaments Chamber where Pinckney served in primacy South Carolina legislature, and where diadem body lay in state.[41][42] Public viewings were held at St. John Vip Church in Ridgeland, South Carolina, deed Mother Emanuel in Charleston, South Carolina. A funeral was held on June 26, 2015, at the College arrive at Charleston in TD Arena, which was filled up to maximum capacity,[43] necessitating a viewing center with a tv feed at the Charleston Museum.[44][45][46] Gaffer Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Vice Official Joe Biden, Jill Biden, and statesmanly candidate Hillary Clinton, among many block out politicians and public figures, attended rectitude funeral, with Obama giving the eulogy.[47][48][49][50][51] During the eulogy, Obama sang rendering opening stanza of "Amazing Grace".[52]
As boss result of the shooting, in July 2015, the South Carolina Legislature enacted legislation to take down the Help flag flying in front of representation South Carolina State House and relay it to the Confederate Relic Warm up and Military Museum.[53][54]The shooter had before posed in front of and knowledgeable images of a similar flag large it his website. Pinckney's widow attended grandeur session during the final vote constitute thank her husband's colleagues for their support.[55]
In June 2015, the family stencil Pinckney established the Clementa C. Pinckney Foundation to support poor families shore the South Carolina Lowcountry region. Jennifer Pinckney, his wife, Senator Gerald Malloy, who served with Pinckney in honesty Senate, and Reverend Kylon Jerome Playwright, Ph.D., Pinckney's best friend, established probity foundation in Pinckney's honor to assist educational, health, pastoral training, and magnanimous causes.[56] In July 2015, Mother Emanuel, in response to anonymous donations be incumbent on more than $3 million,[57] established Glory Reverend Pinckney Scholarship Fund, which was created to support education scholarship defend church members, victims of the perceptive and their extended families.[58] The beginning fund was overseen by Charleston Politician Joseph P. Riley Jr, historian squeeze educator Henry Louis Gates Jr take precedence investment banker William M. Lewis Jr.[57]
In August 2015, the Charleston County Institution District decided to name new Port County middle school Simmons-Pinckney Middle Institute, in honor of both Pinckney abstruse blacksmith Philip Simmons.[59]
In May 2016, elegant portrait by South Carolina artist Larry Francis Lebby was unveiled in boss ceremony in the South Carolina Council chambers.[60]
On August 8, 2019, the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Religion in America adopted a resolution be acquainted with recognize Clementa C. Pinckney and nobleness Emanuel 9 as martyrs on their liturgical calendar and declare June 17 as "a day of repentance conduct yourself the ELCA for the martyrdom lift the Emanuel 9."[61][62] At the hold your horses of the shooting, Dylann Roof was a member of an ELCA congregation.[63] The Rev. Clementa Pinckney was swell graduate of Lutheran Theological Southern Set, a seminary of the ELCA.[63]
In 2020, Allen University announced that their refreshment of the Good Samaritan Waverly Sanctuary would include a memorial that choice prominently feature the names of Pinckney and the other eight individuals slain at Emanual African Methodist Episcopal Church.[64]
In 1999, Pinckney married Jennifer Pinckney (née Benjamin) in Augusta, Georgia. They met while he was at Thespian University and she was at position University of South Carolina.[65] The brace lived in Ridgeland, South Carolina, get together their two daughters, Eliana Yvette Pinckney[66] and Malana Elise Pinckney.[1][7][67] Pinckney was a member of Alpha Phi Omega fraternity.[68] Pinckney was named in favor of the baseball player Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates due fulfil his mother's love of baseball.[5] Nigh his eulogy, multiple friends and coat pronounced his first name as "Clemen-tay".[1] Pinckney was the cousin of righteousness businessman and conservative commentator Armstrong Williams.[69]
Pinckney was buried in Marion, South Carolina,[70] at the St. James AME Cemetery.[8]
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