This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2015/jun/26/charleston-funeral-clemeta-pinckney-obama
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Obama to deliver Clementa Pinckney eulogy at Charleston funeral – rolling report | Obama to deliver Clementa Pinckney eulogy at Charleston funeral – rolling report |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.23pm ET19:23 | |
| Jennifer Pinckney, wife of Reverend Pinckney, who many have mentioned in their remarks through today’s service, has penned a tribute to her late husband: | |
| I do not know how to think about moving forward, but I know I must! | |
| I have tried to be strong for the girls, but this is hard for all of us! | |
| You promised me you would never leave me! | |
| You promised me we would be together for years to come! | |
| You promised me we would watch our children grow, get married, and have children of their own. | |
| You promised me that we would grow old together and spend our latter years without the demands of the Church or State. | |
| I feel robbed, cheated and cut short. | |
| I feel badly that our girls will never have their father to watch them grow. | |
| But I am thankful for one consolation that your life was not in vain. | |
| Crying to myself, reading this painful, painful tribute from Jennifer Pinckney, wife of Rev. Pinckney. pic.twitter.com/NuScdOpRiq | |
| I am told that President Obama just requested to speak to the daughters of Rev. Pinckney before he speaks. | |
| Updated at 2.24pm ET | |
| 2.11pm ET19:11 | |
| As we await President Obama’s eulogy, here is a reminder of what he had to say a week ago: | |
| Any death of this sort is a tragedy. Any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy. There is something particularly heartbreaking about the death happening in a place in which we seek solace and we seek peace, in a place of worship. | |
| Mother Emanuel is, in fact, more than a church. This is a place of worship that was founded by African Americans seeking liberty. This is a church that was burned to the ground because its worshipers worked to end slavery. When there were laws banning all-black church gatherings, they conducted services in secret. When there was a nonviolent movement to bring our country closer in line with our highest ideals, some of our brightest leaders spoke and led marches from this church’s steps. This is a sacred place in the history of Charleston and in the history of America. | |
| 2.04pm ET19:04 | |
| President Obama has arrived in Charleston. | |
| According to the White House pool report, the local fire marshall has estimated the crowd gathered in the TD Arena at 5,500 people. | |
| Side note: this was John Boehner’s first flight on Air Force One during the Obama presidency. | |
| 1.44pm ET18:44 | 1.44pm ET18:44 |
| While we wait for President Obama to deliver his eulogy, here is an excerpt from the New York Times profile of the late reverend: | While we wait for President Obama to deliver his eulogy, here is an excerpt from the New York Times profile of the late reverend: |
| Clementa Carlos Pinckney, who was martyred last week in the basement of Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church, and who will be eulogized on Friday morning by the president of the United States, never lacked for either precocity or audacity. | Clementa Carlos Pinckney, who was martyred last week in the basement of Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church, and who will be eulogized on Friday morning by the president of the United States, never lacked for either precocity or audacity. |
| He was ordained at 18, and assigned almost immediately to fill in for an ailing pastor in Green Pond, SC. He presided over student government in high school and in college and, seeing politics as complementary to his ministry, earned master’s degrees in both divinity and public administration. At 23, he became the youngest elected black member of South Carolina’s legislature. | He was ordained at 18, and assigned almost immediately to fill in for an ailing pastor in Green Pond, SC. He presided over student government in high school and in college and, seeing politics as complementary to his ministry, earned master’s degrees in both divinity and public administration. At 23, he became the youngest elected black member of South Carolina’s legislature. |
| After a pair of two-year terms in the House, he won a State Senate seat and expanded his constituency to five Lowcountry counties. He easily won re-election three times, twice without opposition. While commuting hundreds of miles a week to Columbia, he pastored four churches in succession and served as a district administrator before being appointed at 36 to lead Emanuel, the most prestigious AME pulpit in the state. | After a pair of two-year terms in the House, he won a State Senate seat and expanded his constituency to five Lowcountry counties. He easily won re-election three times, twice without opposition. While commuting hundreds of miles a week to Columbia, he pastored four churches in succession and served as a district administrator before being appointed at 36 to lead Emanuel, the most prestigious AME pulpit in the state. |
| Mr Pinckney died young as well. He was 43 days shy of his 42nd birthday when he welcomed a young white stranger into Bible study on 17 June. An hour later, the gunman had massacred the pastor and eight other worshipers in a bloody declaration of racial warfare. In a shocking instant, Mr Pinckney joined the pantheon of American leaders who have been cut down before fulfilling their potential. | Mr Pinckney died young as well. He was 43 days shy of his 42nd birthday when he welcomed a young white stranger into Bible study on 17 June. An hour later, the gunman had massacred the pastor and eight other worshipers in a bloody declaration of racial warfare. In a shocking instant, Mr Pinckney joined the pantheon of American leaders who have been cut down before fulfilling their potential. |
| You can read the entire profile here. | You can read the entire profile here. |
| Here, meanwhile, is a photographic look at how South Carolina has mourned Pinckney – “the modern pastor” – over the last couple of days. | Here, meanwhile, is a photographic look at how South Carolina has mourned Pinckney – “the modern pastor” – over the last couple of days. |
| 1.16pm ET18:16 | 1.16pm ET18:16 |
| Ed Pilkington | Ed Pilkington |
| The TD Arena at the College of Charleston where the funeral of Reverend Clementa Pinckney is being held has been the scene of an extraordinary outpouring of grief this morning. Thousands of people have endured intense heat to wait for hours in line in hope of attending the service. Thousands have been turned away. | The TD Arena at the College of Charleston where the funeral of Reverend Clementa Pinckney is being held has been the scene of an extraordinary outpouring of grief this morning. Thousands of people have endured intense heat to wait for hours in line in hope of attending the service. Thousands have been turned away. |
| Gospel singers in line for Rev Pinckney funeral #Charlestonshooting longest line I've ever seen https://t.co/fJgyGY0Y8w | Gospel singers in line for Rev Pinckney funeral #Charlestonshooting longest line I've ever seen https://t.co/fJgyGY0Y8w |
| Inside the arena, packed with more than 5,000 attendees, the tone of the service has been one of celebration of the life of Pinckney rather than dwelling on the horror of last week. The full choir of Mother Emanuel, Pinckney’s church where he was gunned down last week, has been pounding out gospel songs; many of the women in the arena are dressed in brilliant white. | Inside the arena, packed with more than 5,000 attendees, the tone of the service has been one of celebration of the life of Pinckney rather than dwelling on the horror of last week. The full choir of Mother Emanuel, Pinckney’s church where he was gunned down last week, has been pounding out gospel songs; many of the women in the arena are dressed in brilliant white. |
| Perhaps the most heartbreaking part of the proceedings are the messages left to Pinckney by his two young daughters in the published order of service. Malana, who hid with her mother Jennifer in a side room while her father and eight other members of the church were being killed, wrote: | Perhaps the most heartbreaking part of the proceedings are the messages left to Pinckney by his two young daughters in the published order of service. Malana, who hid with her mother Jennifer in a side room while her father and eight other members of the church were being killed, wrote: |
| Dear Daddy | Dear Daddy |
| I know you were shot at the Church | I know you were shot at the Church |
| And you went to Heaven | And you went to Heaven |
| I love you so much! | I love you so much! |
| I know you love me | I know you love me |
| Her sister Eliana wrote a poem, part of which reads: | Her sister Eliana wrote a poem, part of which reads: |
| My dear father passed away | My dear father passed away |
| And although he may be gone | And although he may be gone |
| He’s there with me all day and night long | He’s there with me all day and night long |
| I will always remember and love you | I will always remember and love you |
| God Almighty. Poems written by Malana and Eliana Pinckney for their father. In the funeral program this morning. pic.twitter.com/CgGsE0il8U | God Almighty. Poems written by Malana and Eliana Pinckney for their father. In the funeral program this morning. pic.twitter.com/CgGsE0il8U |
| Updated at 1.17pm ET | Updated at 1.17pm ET |
| 1.09pm ET18:09 | 1.09pm ET18:09 |
| This service really is a celebration of Pinckney and his life of service. | This service really is a celebration of Pinckney and his life of service. |
| Pinckney has been lauded by speakers for taking up issues like expansion of Medicaid, access to the voting booth, end of the predatory lending practices and push for body cameras for America’s police forces. | Pinckney has been lauded by speakers for taking up issues like expansion of Medicaid, access to the voting booth, end of the predatory lending practices and push for body cameras for America’s police forces. |
| He used his for the voiceless, said state senator Gerald Malloy. | He used his for the voiceless, said state senator Gerald Malloy. |
| Malloy said Pinckney’s last act as a Christian and senator was to open his door to someone he did not know, someone who did not look like him. As America pays its respect to Pickney it must not close the doors he gave his life to open, said Malloy. | Malloy said Pinckney’s last act as a Christian and senator was to open his door to someone he did not know, someone who did not look like him. As America pays its respect to Pickney it must not close the doors he gave his life to open, said Malloy. |
| “His sacrifice must lead to reconciliation,” he said. | “His sacrifice must lead to reconciliation,” he said. |
| Other speakers called on those gathered to remember Pinckney when they “are tempted to do what is politically expedient instead of what’s right” and also called for prayers for President Obama, who they said is not just a global statesman but also a churchman. | Other speakers called on those gathered to remember Pinckney when they “are tempted to do what is politically expedient instead of what’s right” and also called for prayers for President Obama, who they said is not just a global statesman but also a churchman. |
| 12.57pm ET17:57 | 12.57pm ET17:57 |
| Last night, while performing in South Carolina, Sir Paul McCartney dedicated a song to the victims of the mass shooting, according to the Huffington Post. | Last night, while performing in South Carolina, Sir Paul McCartney dedicated a song to the victims of the mass shooting, according to the Huffington Post. |
| “We pray that people of all colors will be able to live together in peace and harmony,” said McCartney, before launching into a rendition of the 1970 Beatles classic The Long And Winding Road. | “We pray that people of all colors will be able to live together in peace and harmony,” said McCartney, before launching into a rendition of the 1970 Beatles classic The Long And Winding Road. |
| Paul McCartney dedicates "Long and Winding Road" to Charleston during his concert in Columbia pic.twitter.com/dPgtvJLlyG | Paul McCartney dedicates "Long and Winding Road" to Charleston during his concert in Columbia pic.twitter.com/dPgtvJLlyG |
| 12.47pm ET17:47 | 12.47pm ET17:47 |
| Among those in attendance: | Among those in attendance: |
| Reverend Al Sharpton, Reverend Jesse Jackson, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, Charleston mayor Joe Riley, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. | Reverend Al Sharpton, Reverend Jesse Jackson, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, Charleston mayor Joe Riley, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. |
| John Boehner, speaker of the House, is on his way. He is traveling with President Obama. | John Boehner, speaker of the House, is on his way. He is traveling with President Obama. |
| 12.33pm ET17:33 | 12.33pm ET17:33 |
| 12.33pm ET17:33 | 12.33pm ET17:33 |
| Shortly, we are expected to hear from President Obama when he delivers his eulogy. Here is Ed Pilkington on what to expect: | Shortly, we are expected to hear from President Obama when he delivers his eulogy. Here is Ed Pilkington on what to expect: |
| In his remarks so far on the Charleston massacre, Obama has tended to emphasize his frustration with America’s lax gun laws which, as he put it the day after the shootings, has forced him “to make statements like this too many times”. He also made reference in that speech to the Emanuel AME church, the scene of the carnage, as a place of worship founded by African Americans seeking an end to slavery. | In his remarks so far on the Charleston massacre, Obama has tended to emphasize his frustration with America’s lax gun laws which, as he put it the day after the shootings, has forced him “to make statements like this too many times”. He also made reference in that speech to the Emanuel AME church, the scene of the carnage, as a place of worship founded by African Americans seeking an end to slavery. |
| But his remarks in public over the past nine days have been restrained, muted almost, in regard to the overt racial nature of the attack. The past nine days have been in keeping with the cautious stance that America’s first black president has consistently adopted when talking directly about the country’s legacy of racial strife. | But his remarks in public over the past nine days have been restrained, muted almost, in regard to the overt racial nature of the attack. The past nine days have been in keeping with the cautious stance that America’s first black president has consistently adopted when talking directly about the country’s legacy of racial strife. |
| Whatever the extent of his comments on race on Friday, it is certain that his eulogy will address the many achievements of its subject. The president will have rich material to work with – the aftermath of last week’s massacre has been marked by an outpouring of affection and praise for the 41-year-old Pinckney in both his public roles, as pastor and as state senator. | Whatever the extent of his comments on race on Friday, it is certain that his eulogy will address the many achievements of its subject. The president will have rich material to work with – the aftermath of last week’s massacre has been marked by an outpouring of affection and praise for the 41-year-old Pinckney in both his public roles, as pastor and as state senator. |
| Related: Cloud of racism hangs heavy over Obama eulogy for South Carolina pastor | Related: Cloud of racism hangs heavy over Obama eulogy for South Carolina pastor |
| 12.30pm ET17:30 | 12.30pm ET17:30 |
| Funeral service is under way | Funeral service is under way |
| It’s been little over a week since Dylann Roof entered the Emanuel AME church, joined a bible study group and killed nine people. More than 5,000 people have gathered to pay their respects to Reverend Clementa Pinckney, the pastor who among those gunned down by Roof. Pinckney was 41 years old and a father of two. | It’s been little over a week since Dylann Roof entered the Emanuel AME church, joined a bible study group and killed nine people. More than 5,000 people have gathered to pay their respects to Reverend Clementa Pinckney, the pastor who among those gunned down by Roof. Pinckney was 41 years old and a father of two. |
| Barack Obama is expected to deliver the eulogy for Reverend Pinckney. He will be joined by first lady Michelle Obama as well as vice-president Joe Biden and his wife, Jill. Hillary Clinton is also in attendance. | Barack Obama is expected to deliver the eulogy for Reverend Pinckney. He will be joined by first lady Michelle Obama as well as vice-president Joe Biden and his wife, Jill. Hillary Clinton is also in attendance. |
| As Pinckney’s funeral got under way, those gathered at the TD Arena at the College of Charleston were invited to join in the service and were reminded that despite the television cameras and the long lines “what we enter now is worship”. | As Pinckney’s funeral got under way, those gathered at the TD Arena at the College of Charleston were invited to join in the service and were reminded that despite the television cameras and the long lines “what we enter now is worship”. |
| They were told that the venue was no longer a TD Arena but a sanctuary. | They were told that the venue was no longer a TD Arena but a sanctuary. |
| Join us now as we cover this service live. My colleague Ed Pilkington is reporting live from Charleston. | Join us now as we cover this service live. My colleague Ed Pilkington is reporting live from Charleston. |