DETROIT—In the wake of the deadly shooting spree in Charleston, S.C. on June 17, local community members and leaders of multiple faiths gathered at the Historic King Solomon Baptist Church on Saturday, June 20 in solidarity against racism that is “alive and well today.”

A 21-year-old White man has been arrested for the mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church, which killed nine African American churchgoers. The shooter allegedly told his friend that he “wanted to start a race war.”

“We shall not be moved,” sang the attendees at the vigil in Detroit as it began, as a call to justice and “building union together.” The song is an African American folk song that gained popularity during the Civil Rights Movement.

The pews at King Solomon were filled with congregants of different ages, races, and religions to “Take on Hate”, a campaign by the National Network for Arab American Communities that aims to tackle bigotry and racism. Historic King Solomon was just one of hundreds of churches across the country that held vigils in honor of the victims.

“Those that wear the hijab and get spit on and hit violently, those young children that are proud of their faith get bullied at school, we try every day to humanize them,” said former state representative Rashida Tlaib as she cried for the victims.

Christian priests and Muslim Imams prayed together and the diverse congregation sang and prayed with them. Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and an imam, sang along to Christian spiritual songs. 

According to Tlaib, the diversity of the people in attendance was a “symbol of the solidarity that the ‘Take on Hate’ campaign is working toward.”

Both Tlaib and Walid called for the immediate removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina’s state capitol building, which is regarded as a symbol of the long history of racism in the south. The crowd applauded in agreement.

“We’re not gonna just pray against hate, but we’re work against the hate,” Rev. Charles E. Williams II, pastor of Historic King Solomon, reminded the attendees. 

Detroit is no stranger to the long history of racism and speakers warned attendees at the gathering not to let the today’s tragedies become a thing of the past. They called for people to stay involved in the fight against hate and “build a color-blind fight for freedom.”

“You can’t wipe out White supremacy just by praying,” said Sam Riddle, political director of the Michigan chapter of the National Action Network. “You have to wipe it out by electing the right folks and with a public policy agenda.”

Imam Mohamed Almasmari of the Unity Center in Bloomfield Hills urged unity and cooperation between the different ethnic and religious groups to combat bigotry.

“It is very important for us to build bridges in times of peace so we may lean on one another in time of difficulty,” Almasmari said. “This fight against racism, the take on hate, is an ongoing journey. It’s something that people face day in and day out.”

Almasmari added that nine people were shot in South Carolina, but poverty and ignorance are affecting thousands in our society.