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Columbia Business Monthly

Bank of America Grants $250,000 for Emanuel Nine Memorial

Mar 02, 2020 04:33PM ● By David Dykes

The Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation Board announced Bank of America’s grant of $250,000 to construct a permanent memorial honoring the Emanuel Nine, the nine clergy and church members murdered in 2015 at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

"Mother Emanuel AME Church is grateful that the business community is uniting in support of the Memorial Foundation and for Bank of America’s generous commitment to the creation of the Emanuel Nine Memorial,” said Rev. Eric S.C. Manning, the church's pastor.

“We are honored to support this important memorial dedicated to remembering and honoring the lives and sacrifices of the clergy, church members and of the survivors,” said Mark Munn, Charleston market president for Bank of America. “Our support aligns with the intention of the memorial itself to be a reflective space to join together in community, as well as to promote unity and resiliency. “

In July 2018, the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation revealed plans for the memorial to be located on the church grounds. The plans were designed by architect Michael Arad, who also created the National September 11 Memorial in New York City.

The memorial design features a courtyard with two fellowship benches facing each other with high backs that arc up and around like sheltering wings. At the center of the courtyard, the curves of the benches encircle a marble fountain where the names of the Emanuel Nine are carved around the fountain’s edge. Water emanates from a cross-shaped source, filling the basin and gently spilling over the names of the nine. The opening between the benches toward the back of the courtyard reveals a cross above a simple altar, providing visitors a quiet place to linger in thought and prayer.

The memorial includes a survivors’ garden, which is accessed by a pathway from the courtyard. Dedicated to life and resiliency, the garden is surrounded by six stone benches and five trees, symbolizing the five survivors – the sixth bench signifying that the church is also a survivor.

 Tax-deductible donations for the Emanuel Nine Memorial can be made online by visiting: https://www.emanuelnine.org/#donate

The Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation Board was established as a 501(c)(3) organization to support the mission of the Emanuel Nine Memorial by managing fundraising, construction, endowment and outreach. The board is an independent community partnership consisting of local business leaders and elected officials as well as survivors of the tragedy and victims’ family members.