06: The Shooting at Mother Emanuel – One Survivor's Story

In this episode of Shared Humanity: The humans behind the headlines, host Nelba Márquez-Greene, Yale School of Public Health Activist in Residence, is joined by Reverend Sharon Washington Risher. Reverend Risher was catapulted into the limelight after the Charleston, South Carolina shooting at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015. Her beloved mother, Mrs. Ethel Lee Lance, was killed along with eight others – including two cousins and a childhood friend.   Today she is a sought-after inspirational speaker, traveling across the country telling her personal experience of losing loved ones to gun violence, racism, and hate in America, as well as the path to forgiveness and an offering of hope for tomorrow. Her book, For Such A Time as This: Hope and Forgiveness After the Charleston Massacre, was released in 2019.   Risher is a volunteer spokesperson for MOMS Demand Gun Sense and the Everytown Survivor Network, two of the largest grassroots advocacy groups for common-sense gun laws and reform in America. She is also a volunteer and Chairwoman of the Board of the Death Penalty Action Organization. Winner of the Bronze Film Festival Short Doc category- Best Short Film, "Quiet No More", produced by Blue Chalk Media, tells Risher's story.   Risher has published articles with the Washington Post, New York Times, and Oprah Daily, and has appeared on national news.   Connect with Reverend Sharon Risher www.sharonrisherspeaks.com twitter@RisherRev Facebook, sharonrisherspeaks   Learn more about Shared Humanity: https://sph.yale.edu/sharedhumanity    Follow the Yale School of Public Health:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yalesph/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YaleSPH/  X: https://twitter.com/YaleSPH  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yalesph  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/yalesph/  Threads: https://www.threads.net/@yalesph