"There is a hope:" Families of Charleston shooting victims envision the country's future six years after massacre

Six years ago, a White gunman opened fire in the basement of a predominantly Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine of its congregants and shaking the nation. Today, the church is still operating, providing a symbol of hope and forgiveness that the clergy, families and victims say is led by the church's rich historical legacy and faith. 

Established in 1816, the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, commonly referred to as Mother Emanuel, was the site of speeches by abolitionists and civil rights leaders like Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. and Wyatt T. Walker. The church has been the subject of racist attacks throughout its history: In 1822, the church was burned down by an angry White mob; in 1832 the city outlawed the church for having an all-Black congregation.  In 2015, 21-year-old Dylann Roof targeted Mother Emanuel with what investigators later said were intentions to ignite a race war. Eight people died on the scene, and a ninth died later at a local hospital. The following year, Roof was convicted on 33 federal charges. He was sentenced to nine life sentences on state murder charges and sentenced to death on federal charges.