Monday letters: Sen Pinckney didn’t recognize differences

My family and I visited Charleston last month to honor and pay our respects to Sen. and Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who, along with eight other dear souls, was killed in a horrible act of hatred and violence. The sense of unity and togetherness was almost tangible at Emanuel A.M.E. Church as we visited with his fellow ministers and parishioners. While I regret that the president used the sacred moment of a funeral to shill for his political agenda, in the end I am thankful that Clementa Pinckney was honored.

He was so much more than a legislator and minister. He was a true brother in Christ. I’ll never forget a few years ago when my mom was rushed to the hospital with an apparent heart attack. When Clementa Pinckney heard about it, he left his duties at the State House and went to the hospital to pray with my mom. That is the person he was. He made no distinction of race, political affiliation or any other walls of separation.

We were from suburban Lexington County, and he was from downtown Charleston. We were Republicans, and he was a Democrat. We were white, and he was black. The differences could probably go on and on. But none of that mattered to Clementa Pinckney. His heart transcended passing and temporal differences. The gospel of Jesus Christ, and his kingdom, is what mattered to him. God bless his memory. May his legacy continue and may it live on in all of us.

Lexington County Probate Judge

Lexington