BET.com is airing the funeral service of Rev. Clementa Pinckney Friday at 11A/10C. Loved ones, friends and constituents of Mother Emanuel's senior pastor will gather to pay their respects to the South Carolina state senator. President Obama will deliver Pinckney's eulogy.  

The murder of nine African-American women and men at Charleston's Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in June has been a heartbreaking moment for America in the midst of a series of events that have heightened sensitivity to racial issues dating back to this country's founding. 
Pinckney was a senior pastor at Emanuel. He served as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate since 2000 before being killed. Prior to his seat in the Senate, he was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1997 to 2000.  
On Wednesday, Pinckney's body was being viewed at the South Carolina Statehouse. A viewing of his body will also take place at Ridgeland, S.C, and at the Emanual AME Church, Thursday, the Associated Press reports.
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(Photo: REUTERS/Randall Hill/Files)