The black church has long been the cornerstone and sanctuary for African-American life.
It's also long been a target for racists and white supremacists trying to strike blows against the African-American psyche.
The latest attack came Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina, inside one of the nation's oldest black churches.
Authorities say 21-year-old Dylann Storm Roof joined a prayer meeting inside historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and shot nine people dead.
Since the shootings, other black churches have begun gathering their faithful to process the tragedy, fortify themselves for the journey toward forgiveness and renew their commitments to the social activism that has made them targets for hate through the ages.
