The Gamma Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated are standing with our community, providing our support, and raising our voices to support the passage of South Carolina House Bill 3620 The Clementa Pinckney Hate Crime Legislation.  We are petitioning the State of South Carolina to enact a hate crime bill to protect those who have been victim to crime because of hate.

 “[I] hope…each of us [will] look deeply into our own hearts and minds, [inspiring] us to root out any forms of bias and bigotry in our own lives and that in our own families, friends and of course in the wider society at large.” – Rev. Clemente Pinckney

State Representative Wendell Gilliard along with several other law makers are tirelessly seeking to have House Bill 3620 passed.  We support the passage of this bill and are requesting that it be placed on the Senate agenda this year. It has been six years since the tragic death of the Emanual Nine. The “Clementa Pinckney Hate Crime Law” is named after the late state senator and pastor who was killed along with eight other people during the Charleston Church Shooting when a white supremacist entered Mother Emanuel during bible study and opened fire.

The shooter was charged federally with a hate crime, but that law does not exist in South Carolina. In 2021 the bill passed with bipartisan support by the South Carolina House of Representatives but stalled in the state senate. We stand together to petition the Senate Judiciary Committee to continue the execution without delay or amendment. The state of South Carolina is one of two states in the United States that does not have a formal hate crime legislation. It is time for our state leaders to stand up and declare that South Carolina will not be the last but will standup for love, peace, and forgiveness. The same forgiveness the family members of the Emanuel Nine exhibited during that horrific tragedy.

As a community consisting of various races, backgrounds, and diverse beliefs, it is imperative that we come together for the common good; to eliminate hate and to advocate for those who are unable to speak for themselves. We have pledged to use our influence and leverage our networks and platforms to ensure that every person who resides in the State of South Carolina can attest to this state being  a place where all our citizens live in harmony, have equal protection, equal opportunity, and equal justice.

Please partner with our community by signing your name to this Petition and showing your support in making sure that this legislation is passed during this General Session.  

The Gamma Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated