Slain Senator’s Widow Launches Clementa C. Pinckney Foundation

Family and friends of South Carolina state senator and pastor Clementa C. Pinckney, who was slain at Emmanuel AME in Charleston, are launching a foundation in his honor.

The Honorable Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney Foundation is being launched on what would have been Pinckney’s 42nd birthday. According to the website, the mission of the foundation is to improve the quality of life for all South Carolina citizens by supporting religious, educational and charitable causes that the late Senator supported while serving as a leader in his church, community and the South Carolina Senate.

The Foundation was established by the Honorable Reverend Pinckney’s widow, Jennifer Pinckney; Senator Gerald Malloy who served in the State Senate with Reverend Pinckney; and Reverend Kylon Jerome Middleton, Ph.D., a former high school principal and current pastor of an AME church, who was the Reverend’s best friend.

“While the shock has started to dissipate, we are still in a state of deep grief,” said Jennifer Pinckney in a news release. “But, we are answering God’s call to continue my husband’s work and that starts with establishing a charitable foundation in his honor.”

Jennifer Pinckney is chairing the foundation.

You can donate to the foundation here. 

Photo: AFP/Getty