Remembering My Mother Myra Thompson: One of “The Emanuel Nine”
Earlier this morning I posted a blog titled, “Remembering and Honoring “The Emanuel Nine” 5 Years Later“. In the blog, I talked about watching my FB friend use facebook to frantically search for her morning on the morning of the Charleston Church Massacre, only to find out that her mother was one of the victims. My FB friend’s names is Denise and Myra Thompson is her mother.
I have not had the pleasure of meeting Denise, but occasionally I will send her a message on FB to just check on her. She ALWAYS replies. This morning, I reached out and asked her is she wanted to say anything about her beautiful mother. This is what she sent me…
“Today makes five years since my mom was taken away from us because of the color of her skin. She died welcoming a stranger into Bible Study, but the life she lived and her impact carries on. She was the type of person that after talking to her about something you wanted to accomplish, you felt like you could because she had a way of motivating people. Her students have been sharing about how she is the reason they pursued a particular career and how she gave them the motivation they needed accomplish their goals.
My mom was so special to our family, but she was many things to a lot of people. She was a honorary mom, grandmother, aunt, and friend for so many people. She was very loving and people gravitated to her and she was always ready to help. As we honor her today, I want everyone to know that Charlotte had a special place in her heart. She has family and friends in the area and she spent a lot of time in the city.”
Myra Thompson received not 1 but 2 Masters Degrees from the Citadel Graduate College. She was a dedicated mother, teacher, and church member. And even though her life was tragically taken, her legacy continues to inspire her loved ones and even the people that never met her (like me) daily.
