BET Remembers the Victims of the Charleston Massacre

A brief look at the lives lost at Emanuel AME.

We Will Never Forget - This week, terror and tragedy struck the city of Charleston, S.C., when a gunman shot and killed nine parishioners at Emanuel AME Church during a Wednesday night prayer meeting. Black America has cried out in response to the murders and is desperate for a resolve on race relations in this country. In this slideshow, BET.com takes a brief look at the lives of the victims of the Charleston massacre. They will be remembered forever. (Photos from left: Courtesy of Najee Washington, Leigh Thomson/Southern Wesleyan University via AP, Grace Beahm/The Post and Courier via AP) 

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We Will Never Forget - This week, terror and tragedy struck the city of Charleston, S.C., when a gunman shot and killed nine parishioners at Emanuel AME Church during a Wednesday night prayer meeting. Black America has cried out in response to the murders and is desperate for a resolve on race relations in this country. In this slideshow, BET.com takes a brief look at the lives of the victims of the Charleston massacre. They will be remembered forever. (Photos from left: Courtesy of Najee Washington, Leigh Thomson/Southern Wesleyan University via AP, Grace Beahm/The Post and Courier via AP) 

DePayne Middleton-Doctor - DePayne Middleton-Doctor, a 49-year-old mother of four, had just started a new job at Southern Wesleyan University’s Charleston campus as an enrollment counselor. She had just joined Emanuel AME in January. "As soon as she got there, she jumped in," her sister, Bethane Middleton Brown, said. She was a minister in the church and led Wednesday night Bible studies, according to AP. (Photo: Leigh Thomson/Southern Wesleyan University via AP)

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DePayne Middleton-Doctor - DePayne Middleton-Doctor, a 49-year-old mother of four, had just started a new job at Southern Wesleyan University’s Charleston campus as an enrollment counselor. She had just joined Emanuel AME in January. "As soon as she got there, she jumped in," her sister, Bethane Middleton Brown, said. She was a minister in the church and led Wednesday night Bible studies, according to AP. (Photo: Leigh Thomson/Southern Wesleyan University via AP)

Sharonda Coleman-Singleton - Sharonda Coleman-Singleton was a reverend at Emanuel, the mother of three and a girls' track coach at Goose Creek High School. (Photo: the Goose Creek Gators via Facebook)

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Sharonda Coleman-Singleton - Sharonda Coleman-Singleton was a part-time minister at Emanuel AME Church. She worked as a speech pathologist in a local high school and also coached girls track. "She had a big smile," the school’s principal Jimmy Huskey said. "Her No. 1 concern was always the students. She made a difference in the lives of children. She cannot be replaced here at this school." Coleman-Singleton was a mother of three. (Photo: the Goose Creek Gators via Facebook) 

The Victims - The victims have been identified as Cynthia Hurd, 54; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Sharonda Singleton, 45; Myra Thompson, 59; Ethel Lance, 70; Susie Jackson, 87; the Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74; and DePayne Doctor, 49. One of the victims was South Carolina Sen. Clementa Pinckney, the church's senior pastor (pictured). (Photo: Grace Beahm/The Post and Courier via AP)

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Rev. Clementa Pinckney - Rev. Clementa Pinckney was the pastor of Emanuel AME and he had been a state legislator for 19 years. In 2000, he was elected to the state Senate. "He had a core not many of us have," said Sen. Vincent Sheheen. "I think of the irony that the most gentle of the 46 of us — the best of the 46 of us in this chamber — is the one who lost his life." He was 41. (Photo: Grace Beahm/The Post and Courier via AP)

Cynthia Hurd - Cynthia Hurd had worked for 31 years at the Charleston County Public Library. Most recently she was a manager at the St. Andrews Regional Library. "Her loss is incomprehensible, and we ask for prayers for her family, her co-workers, her church and this entire community as we come together to face this tragic loss," the CCPL wrote in a statement.(Photo: CCPL.org)

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Cynthia Hurd - Cynthia Hurd managed one of the busiest branches of the Charleston County library system, according to AP. Hurd, who is from Charleston, was a regular attendee at Emanuel AME on Sundays, Wednesdays and “any other time it was open.” The city’s library system closed all of its libraries on Thursday, the day after she was killed. (Photo: CCPL.org) 

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Susie Jackson - The eldest of the victims was Susie Jackson, a long-time member of the church.  (Photo: Michael Skolnik via Twitter)

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Susie Jackson - Susie Jackson was the eldest of the victims on June 17. "It's just hard to process that my grandmother had to leave Earth this way," her grandson Tim Jackson said. "It's real, real hard. It's challenging because I don't believe she deserved to go this way." She was a member of the church choir and the cousin to another victim, Ethel Lance. (Photo: Michael Skolnik via Twitter) 

Tywanza Sanders - Tywanza Sanders was the youngest of the group shot dead in the church shooting. He had recently graduated from Allen University and was working at a barber shop, Buzzfeed reports.  (Photo: Tywanza Sanders via Facebook)

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Tywanza Sanders - Tywanza Sanders graduated from Allen University last year and received a degree in business. The university sent out a release saying that Sanders was "a quiet, well-known student" with "a warm and helpful spirit," according to AP. He was 26. (Photo: Tywanza Sanders via Facebook)

Rev. Daniel L. Simmons Sr. - Daniel L. Simmons Sr., 74, was a minister at Emanuel AME and was once the pastor of Greater Zion AME Church in Awendaw, S.C. (Photo: The Simmons Family)

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Rev. Daniel L. Simmons Sr. - Daniel L. Simmons Sr., 74, was a minister at Emanuel AME and was once the pastor of Greater Zion AME Church in Awendaw, S.C. (Photo: The Simmons Family)

Ethal Lance - Ethel Lance, 70, was one of the nine innocent people killed Wednesday. She was a custodian at the Emanuel A.M.E Church for 30 years and was attending bible study when Roof opened fire, the Post and Courier reports. She enjoyed performances and worked at the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium for more than 30 years before retiring in 2002.(Photo: Courtesy of Najee Washington) 

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Ethel Lance - Ethel Lance had been a member of Emanuel AME for most of her life. As part of her work at the church, she helped to maintain the historic building. "She was a God-fearing woman," said granddaughter Najee Washington, 23, to AP. "She was the heart of the family, and she still is. She is a very caring, giving and loving woman. She was beautiful inside and out." (Photo: Courtesy of Najee Washington)

Myra Thompson - Myra Thompson, 59, was the wife of Rev. Anthony Thompson. Her husband was a vicar at the Holy Trinity Reformed Episcopal Church. (Photo: WSPA)

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Myra Thompson - Myra Thompson, 59, was the wife of Rev. Anthony Thompson. Her husband was a vicar at the Holy Trinity Reformed Episcopal Church. (Photo: WSPA)