Minnesota Holds Vigil To Mourn With Charleston
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - On Thursday night, people in Minnesota -- and the rest of the country -- tried to understand a massacre that happened in a church in South Carolina. Nine people were killed during bible study class.
In Minneapolis, a vigil was held at Sumner library to show that the city mourns with those in Charleston.
The group, brought together by the Million Artists Movement, repeated the names of the victims at Emanuel AME Church so they will not be forgotten.
They sang and prayed and some became emotional as they came together to be part of a larger community, a community that feels the pain and loss from across the country.
"I've lived in the south," one vigil attendee said. "I feel by geography and my own history, I was able to really feel the pain."
"We are people who have so much love and we are people who have so much pain," another said. "Standing in community together gives me strength."
It was supposed to be a Juneteenth celebration, but organizers say after learning about the shooting, they felt it was important to transition into a vigil, so people could mourn together and to try to begin the healing process.
Another vigil will be held for the Charleston victims in Minneapolis at 7 p.m Friday at Peavey Park.
