Deona Smith on the Emmanuel Nine Memorial | Midday Break Room w/ Tiffany Bacon - 7.20.26

Deona Smith is the executive director of the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation, an organization that was established by a group of community and business leaders inspired to take action to honor those who were killed in the mass shooting in Charelston, South Carolina, where Dylan Roof took the lives of 9 people who were attending Bible Study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest black church in the Southern United States. More than a decade after nine Black worshippers were murdered during Bible Study at Mother Emanuel AME Church, a permanent memorial honoring their lives is nearing completion in Charleston, South Carolina. The Emanuel Nine Memorial, expected to open in Fall 2026, will honor the nine victims, the five survivors, and all those impacted by racial violence. Deona joins the show to talk about the significance of the Emmanuel Nine Memorial.