Hillary Clinton Pens Open Letter to Charleston

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On the one year anniversary of the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church that claimed the lives of nine people, Hillary Clinton published an open letter to the citizens of Charleston, South Carolina remembering the victims of the shooting. Clinton mentioned each victim by name before discussing the work that still needs to be done to enact stronger gun control laws including provisions that would require a background check before the purchase of a firearm and barring those on the FBI’s terrorist watch list from purchasing a gun. A copy of Clinton’s letter is below:

Friends —

One year ago today, our nation lost nine precious lives. They were mothers and fathers, students and coaches, pastors and choir members. They were men and women of faith, each filled with passion and love, and with so much left to give. For many, time has done little to dull the pain of their loss. I still remember my grief and confusion when I heard the news. But their deaths have not been in vain.

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,” Scripture teaches us. “Love never fails.”

On that evening in the “Mother Emanuel” AME Church, Clementa, Cynthia, Susie, Ethel, DePayne, Tywanza, Daniel, Sharonda and Myra lived out the lessons of their faith, like always — welcoming a stranger for prayer and fellowship, offering love without a second thought.

Their spirit of love remained long after they were gone. In court, one by one, grieving parents and siblings looked at the young man who had taken so much from them and said, “I forgive you.” And the entire Charleston community — black and white, Christian, Muslim and Jewish, and so many others — came together to stand up to hate and bigotry, providing love to one another instead.

Filled with that love, we have made progress. The Confederate flag that flew on the South Carolina State House grounds has been removed. Young people have called out for much-needed reforms to our criminal justice system. Mothers who lost their children to gun violence are channeling their grief into action and turning their mourning into a movement for common-sense gun reform.

But we have much more to do.

Another mass shooting, in Orlando, broke our hearts earlier this week. An average of 90 people a day are killed by gun violence in our country. This must stop. A good first step is closing the “Charleston Loophole” in our gun laws, which allows a person otherwise prohibited from buying a gun — such as a domestic abuser or other violent criminal — to buy one if a background check isn’t completed within three business days. This loophole allowed the alleged Charleston shooter to buy his gun despite his prior arrest record. How many more innocent people need to be cut down before we act and close this dangerous loophole?

On that terrible evening and every day since, Americans across the country have joined our hearts with the people of Charleston and South Carolina. Millions of Americans are still walking with them — in grief, solidarity and determination.

In the spirit of the Charleston Nine, let’s bridge our divides, fight for change and remember that love never fails.

With solidarity and warm regards, I am

Sincerely yours,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

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News Source: CNN

Clinton to Attend Rev. Pinckney’s Funeral Service

20150625_hillary_clinton_gty_1160_956x519Hillary Rodham Clinton will attend the funeral of Rev. Clementa Pinckney, one of the nine victims of last week’s shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. She will attend the service along with several members of Congress, Vice President Joe Biden, and President Barack Obama, who will be delivering Rev. Pinckney’s eulogy. Clinton cancelled a fundraising event in Philadelphia that was scheduled for tomorrow.

News Source: Politico

Clinton Talks Race in Missouri

150623165635-hillary-clinton-talks-confederate-flag-in-ferguson-keilar-sot-lead-00003520-exlarge-169Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke about race relations in the United States at an event held at the Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Missouri. She praised the actions of South Carolina leaders to remove the Confederate flag from the state capitol building, but admitted that there is more work to be done, and removing the flag is only a small step in addressing racial inequality.

Clinton’s comments come just days after white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine men and women at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. Her remarks were made a few miles from Ferguson, a city that has seen racial tensions since the 2014 shooting of an African American teen by local police. Similar events have taken place around the country sparking outrage and riots. Clinton admitted that work needs to be done saying, “We can’t hide from hard truths about race and justice, we have to name them, and own them, and change them.”

A full video from today’s event is available on C-SPAN.

Clinton is scheduled to be in Virginia and Philadelphia on Friday. Until then, follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: CNN

Clinton Returns to California for Fundraisers

Last week, Hillary Rodham Clinton attended events in San Francisco and Los Angeles. On Friday, she attended three fundraisers in Hollywood that were attended by Leonardo DiCaprio, Dustin Lance Black, Elizabeth Banks, Howard Gordon, and Bruce Cohen. The events took place at the homes of HBO’s Michael Lombardo and actor Tobey Maguire. Earlier in the day, Clinton also attended a fundraiser at the home of Westfield Corp co-CEO Peter Lowy. She is reported to have addressed a number of issues, including the recent shooting in a Charleston, South Carolina church. All three events were closed to the press.

Saturday, Clinton addressed the The US Conference of Mayors where she called for stronger gun restrictions following the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. She acknowledged that there is still work to be done with regard to race relations. She said, “Despite our best efforts and our highest hopes, America’s long struggle with race is far from finished. I know this is a difficult topic to talk about. I know that so many of us hoped by electing our first black president, we had turned the page on this chapter in our history. I know there are truths we do not like to say out loud or discus with our children. But we have to.”

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News Source: Variety, The Washington Post

Image Source: The Washington Post