235: Overcoming Hate with Love: Chris Singleton's Path to Advocacy to Prevent Gun Violence

After his mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, was killed in the Mother Emanuel AME church shooting in 2015, Chris Singleton became a beacon of resilience and unity in the face of unthinkable tragedy. His story of losing his mother in a horrific hate crime and then transforming that unimaginable pain into a life dedicated to combating gun violence and racism is both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. As he takes us on his journey from a grieving teenager to an impassioned advocate, Chris’s reflections on his mother’s unyielding support during his baseball games and his desire emphasizing love over hate and recognizing our shared humanity above our differences is marked with humor and kindness.

Further reading:
5 Years After Charleston Church Massacre, What Have We Learned?(NPR)
'Hate Crime': A Mass Killing at a Historic Church (the Atlantic)
What Forgiveness Means Nearly 5 Years After Emanuel AME Church Mass Shooting (WBUR)
Buffalo slayings hit close to home for former baseball player 900 miles away (NPR)
Chris Singleton ‘Changed His Mission’ When A White Supremacist Killed His Mother In Charleston Church Shooting (the Village Celebration)
Remembering the Mother Emanuel Nine eight years later (WLTX)