A sweeping history of one of the nation’s most important African American churches and a profound story of courage and grace amid the fight for racial justice—from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Kevin Sack “A masterpiece . . . a dense, rich, captivating narrative, featuring vivid prose . . . expansive, inspiring, and hugely important.”—The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)
“Race, religion, and terror combine for an extraordinary story of America.”—Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., bestselling author of Begin Again
COVER ART BY JONATHAN GREENE
Books on Broad will host veteran journalist Kevin Sack for an author talk and conversation with guest Camden Mayor Vincent Sheheen, followed by audience Q&A and a book signing of his new book Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 6pm at Liberty Hall, Revolutionary War Visitor Center, 212 Broad Street, Camden, SC, 29020. The event is free to the public. Books will be available for purchase at the event, or, in advance of the event, at Books on Broad, 944 Broad Street, Camden. The author will sign books following the program.
Few people beyond South Carolina’s Lowcountry knew of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston—Mother Emanuel—before the night of June 17, 2015, when a twenty-one-year-old white supremacist walked into Bible study and slaughtered the church’s charismatic pastor and eight other worshippers. Although the shooter had targeted Mother Emanuel—the first A.M.E. church in the South—to agitate racial strife, he did not anticipate the aftermath: an outpouring of forgiveness from the victims’ families and a reckoning with the divisions of caste that have afflicted Charleston and the South since the earliest days of European settlement.
Mother Emanuel explores the fascinating history that brought the church to that moment and the depth of the desecration committed in its fellowship hall. It reveals how African Methodism was cultivated from the harshest American soil, and how Black suffering shaped forgiveness into both a religious practice and a survival tool. Kevin Sack, who has written about race in his native South for more than four decades, uses the church to trace the long arc of Black life in the city where nearly half of enslaved Africans disembarked in North America and where the Civil War began. Through the microcosm of one congregation, he explores the development of a unique practice of Christianity, from its daring breakaway from white churches in 1817, through the traumas of Civil War and Reconstruction, to its critical role in the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.
At its core, Mother Emanuel is an epic tale of perseverance, not just of a congregation but of a people who withstood enslavement, Jim Crow, and all manners of violence with an unbending faith.
KEVIN SACK is a veteran journalist who has written about national affairs for more than four decades and has been part of three Pulitzer Prize–winning teams. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, and a graduate of Duke University, he spent thirty years on the staff of The New York Times, where he specialized in writing long-form narrative and investigative reports, often related to race. He has also written for the Los Angeles Times and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and his work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine. He was a 2019 Emerson Collective Fellow at New America. A native of Jacksonville, FL, Sack lives in Charleston, SC, with his wife, Dina Sack. They have three children.
VINCENT SHEHEEN was born and raised in Camden. He was a member of the South Carolina Senate from 2004-2020 and was desk mates with Senator Clementa Pinckney on the Senate floor. He was also a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2001-2004. Mayor Sheheen was elected to Camden City Council in November 2024. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Clemson University and a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of South Carolina. Vincent is co-host of the popular podcast about SC politics Bourbon in the Backroom, and has published numerous essays, articles, and the book, The Right Way: Getting the Palmetto State Back on Track. Vincent’s newest book, A Concise Guide to South Carolina State Government, is expected to be released in late 2025. Sheheen and his wife Amy have three children and one grandchild.
BOOKS ON BROAD is an independent bookstore and coffee shop located in downtown historic Camden proudly serving SC roasted King Bean coffee and offering a broad selection of new, used, and collectible books. Books on Broad is open Monday through Friday 7:30 am – 6 pm, Saturday 7:30 am – 4 pm, and Sunday 9:30 am – 3 pm. Shop from the website 24/7 at www.booksonbroad.com.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR VISITOR CENTER is one of the nation’s newest regional and national attractions, the Center features the first permanent exhibit that tells the powerful story of the American Revolution, the Southern Campaign and South Carolina’s major role in turning the tide of the war. The Center is also the gateway to all Camden and Kershaw County have to offer – from historic sites and regional festivals to a multitude of events and activities. https://simplyrevolutionary.com
