Dedication of Charleston 9 memorial on Aug. 22 in Seattle

SEATTLE — The NAACP, the United Black Christian Clergy, First AME Church, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and Afri-PAC will host a dedication and memorial ceremony this Saturday in remembrance of the Charleston 9 murder victims who’s lives were brutally taken in the name of racial hatred. It will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22 at Seattle’s Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 2200 Martin Luther King Ave. South.

This dedication is the follow-up to the March and Rally held July 9. Claude Burfect (right), a member of Washington Federation of State Employees Local 341 who served as that event’s coordinator, said at the time that the community wanted to to do something to remember and stand in solidarity with the Charleston 9. From that thought came the idea of establishing a permanent living memorial to the Charleston 9 being established in MLK Park.

The site will have a tree in the center surrounded by nine plants, with each plant representing a slain victim. A cornerstone will be placed at the site as a reminder that racial hated is unacceptable and never to forget what happened in Charleston, S.C.  The tree in the middle represents the community coming together to say “Hate Won’t Win.”

All are invited to join us as we remember the Charleston 9 and to express the belief that “Hate Won’t Win,” a national movement that has sprung out of that tragedy. Make plans to attend this dedication on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 3 p.m. MLK Park, 2200 Martin Luther King Ave. South.