Fellowship
Scriptures Can Help Us Make Sense of Shooting
By Lyndia Grant
Special to the NNPA from the
Houston Forward Times
T
his week, it was as though we were
reliving Sept. 15, 1963, all over again,
when a bomb blast at the Sixteenth
Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Al-
abama, killed four African-American girls
during church services. At least 14 others
were injured. Three former Ku Klux Klan
members were convicted of murder for the
bombing.
This time, 52 years later at Mother Eman-
uel, the oldest church south of Baltimore,
nine people were killed by a lone young
white man.
The Rev. Clementa Pinckney, a pastor at
Emanuel AME Church and an esteemed
state senator, a man of great honor, was the
primary victim.
Tywanza Sanders, only 26, was a graduate
of Allen University. He earned a degree in
business administration last year.
Cynthia Hurd, 54, was an employee of the
Charleston County Public Library for three
decades, most recently working as the man-
ager at St. Andrews Regional Library.
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 49, was
a speech therapist and girls track and field
coach at Goose Creek High School in sub-
urban Charlotte, loved by her son.
NAACP and Faith
Leaders March and
Rally in Solidarity with
the Charleston 9
On Tuesday, July 7th at 5pm, hundreds
of local community members will gather
at First AME Church in Seattle (1522 14th
Ave. Seattle, WA. 98122) to rally and march
in solidarity with the Charleston 9. Orga-
nized by the Seattle King County NAACP
and Washington Christian Leadership Coa-
lition, the event will be an opportunity for
The Rev. Depayne Middleton Doctor, 49,
was a church singer and former Charles-
ton County community development block
Those folks could have
been any one of us!
grant employee, having retired in 2005.
Susie Jackson, 87, the oldest, was a long-
time church member.
Ethel Lance, 70, was a sexton at the
church.
The Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74, a mem-
ber of the church’s ministerial staff, died in
the operating room at the hospital.
Myra Thompson, 59, was the wife of the
vicar of Holy Trinity Reformed Episcopal
Church.
These folks could have been any one of
us! Can you imagine in our lifetime, with a
sitting African-American President that we
would see such hatred?
Though America is celebrating 150 years
since President Abraham Lincoln signed the
Emancipation Proclamation and we have
our first African-American president, Amer-
ica is shocked to awaken to such sad and
hateful news.
There are scriptures to help us better un-
derstand. The young killer judged those he
killed only by the color of their skin.
the community to come together in the wake
of the tragic attack that left nine unarmed
Black people dead at Emanuel African
Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.
Local leaders will be joining together to
call for an end to the structural and systemic
violence that has been targeted at communi-
ties of color, and black people in particular,
for centuries.
From the flyer: “The blind hatred toward
people of color has to come to an end... If
we cannot feel safe in our own churches and
homes, then where can we feel safe?”
Page 10 July 1, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner
Matthew 7:1-5 NIV reads, “Judge not, that
you be not judged. For with what judgment
you judge, you will be judged; and with the
measure you use, it will be measured back
to you. And why do you look at the speck
in your brother’s eye, but do not consider
the plank in your own eye? Or how can you
say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the
speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in
your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the
plank from your own eye, and then you will
see clearly to remove the speck from your
brother’s eye.”
Then let’s look at 1 John 3:15-16, which
reads, “Everyone who hates his brother is a
murderer, and you know that no murderer
has eternal life abiding in him. By this we
know love that he laid down his life for us,
and we ought to lay down our lives for the
brothers.”
Better yet, let’s talk about the 14th Amend-
ment of the Constitution.
Ratified by the states on Dec. 6, 1865, it
says “in Section 1 … nor shall any state de-
prive any person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law; nor deny to any
person within its jurisdiction the equal pro-
tection of the laws.”
These victims were deprived of their lives;
we pray for due process of the law.
Henry Earl Dizer
Born: Jan. 23, 1955
Passed away: June 18, 2015
Father to: Hennisha T.
Dizer, La’Nisha L. Dizer,
Terra N. Dizer
Step-Father to: DeAndre R.
Smith and Depree R. Smith
Brother to: Michael Dizer,
Rita Dizer, Charletta Malone,
Marvina Ross, Ruby Sims
and Russell Dizer Sr.
Henry Earl Dizer
Viewing will be held Wed
July 1, 2015, from 5 to 7 pm,
With A Celebration, “Remem-
bering the Life of Henry Earl
Dizer” will be held on Thurs-
day, July 2, 2015 at 1:00 pm
at Morningstar Church, 4927
NE 55th Street, Portland, OR
97218
Repast will follow the ser-
vice.
Marion Schultz Sutherland
July 3, 1926 – June 24, 2015
D
based in Washington, D.
aughter of Clyde
C. and past president of
and Vella Schultz,
her family, George Schultz
Marion died peace-
& “His.”
fully in her sleep. A loving
She had many friends
mom, friend, leader, and
from all walks of life; she
volunteer, she is pre-de-
was an avid bridge player,
ceased by her husband,
lover of music and ardent
Earl C. Sutherland, and
fan of the Seahawks and
leaves behind her daugh-
Mariners.
ter, Chrystal Weinberg
Marion will be remem-
(John); son Clyde Mer-
bered in celebration at 3
riwether (Jackie); grand-
Marion Schultz
p.m. at Seattle First Bap-
children, Cherissa, Chris-
Sutherland
tist Church (1111 Harvard
topher, and Jamal; step
son Earl M. (Nancy) and grandchildren Avenue), Sunday, July 12. The family
requests, in lieu of flowers, contributions
Anna, Catherine, and Grace.
A child of God, she was a long-time can be made to The Legacy Foundation,
member and past president of Seattle P.O. Box 22061, Seattle, WA 98122, des-
First Baptist Church and served on the ignated for The Marion Schultz Suther-
board of the American Baptist Foreign land Leadership Award or The Christian
Mission Society. Marion was the Tenth Children’s Fund.
National President of The Links, Inc.