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President Sings ‘Amazing Grace’ As He Eulogizes S. C. Pastor
Surrounded by A.M.E. Bishops, President Obama eulogized Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor of Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. Rev. Pinckney was also a State senator.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015, in bia, S.C.
Colum-
In one of his presidency’s most im- passioned reflections on race, Pres- ident Obama eulogized the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney on Friday by calling on the nation to emulate the grace that he displayed in his work and that the people of South Carolina demonstrated after the massacre of nine worshipers at Emanuel African Methodist Episco- pal Church.
Before nearly 6,000 mourners and a worldwide television audience, Mr. Obama, who met Mr. Pinckney during his first presidential cam- paign, placed the shootings in the context of America’s long history of
violence against African-Americans. He also reiterated his plea to restrict the availability of firearms and called for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the State House in Columbia.
Mr. Obama thrilled the mostly African-American audience by preaching with revivalist cadences, and by closing his 40-minute address by singing, in solo, the opening re- frain of “Amazing Grace.”
The crowd came to its feet and joined in, leading the Rev. Norvel Goff, a presiding elder in the A.M.E. church, to later “thank the Reverend President.”
REV. CLEMENTA C. PINCKNEY
The late Rev. Clementa Pinckney's daughter, Malana, reaches up to U.S. President Barack Obama next to her sis- ter Eliana, right, as their mother Jennifer hugs first lady Michelle Obama after the president eulo- gized Rev. Pinckney during funeral serv- ices at the College of Charleston TD Arena in Charleston, S.C., on Friday.
Sen. Clementa Pinckney's wife Jennifer Pinckney, center, and her daughters, Eliana, left, and Malana, right, follow his casket into the South Carolina Statehouse,
President Obama Gets Double Supreme Court Victories!
WASHINGTON — Presi- dent Obama called the Supreme Court decision re- quiring states to recognize same-sex marriage "a vic- tory for America."
"Our nation was founded on a bedrock principle that we are all created equal. The project of each generation is to bridge the meaning of those founding words with the realities of changing times," he said Friday.
In a highly contemplative speech — much of which continued long after his pre- pared remarks had ended — the President also called on supporters of gay marriage to respect the views of peo- ple who differ and "renew our deep commitment to re- ligious freedom."
Pres. Obama said the ruling was the "consequence of the countless small acts of courage of millions of peo- ple across decades who stood up, who came out, who talked to parents — parents who loved their children no matter what. Folks who were willing to endure bullying and taunts and stayed strong and came to believe in themselves and who they were, and slowly made an entire country real- ize that love is love."
Moments before speak-
PRESIDENT OBAMA
ing, the President called the plaintiff in the case, Jim Obergefell.
Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett informed President Obama while he was in the White House residence working on a eulogy he would deliver later Friday in Charleston for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, said Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz.
Presidential/Government News
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