Walking into Mother Emmanuel A.M.E., a somber sense hovers over the room as people reflect on and remember the tragedy that occurred just downstairs from the sanctuary on June 17th, 2015, and resulted in the loss of nine lives due to the senseless racism of a South Carolina native. As people begin to flood into the sanctuary on the night of November 2nd, the motivations of the tragedy weigh heavily in the air as city leaders, activists and state officials gather to converse on race and solutions to the systemic racism prevalent in South Carolina and the United States as a whole.

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As part of Pharrell William’s initiative with A & E and iHeartMedia, William’s is traveling to four cities across the United States: Charleston, Ferguson, Baltimore and Chicago, to hold meaningful and productive townhall-styled conversations on race in society today, all of which will be broadcast as the program, Shining A Light: Conversations on Race in America on A&E on November 20th.

The night began with the question of why Charleston’s reaction to the shooting was so much different than reactions have been elsewhere, which was posed to Charleston’s Mayor Joe Riley. After eloquently discussing the faith and unity of Charleston the question was opened to the floor, where an emphasis on the necessity of action and not just words was prevalent. The format of the night consisted of the two hosts posing questions and calling on audience members to respond, focusing on solutions to racial problems. However, as the night progressed tensions grew in the sanctuary and people began to shout out answers or make noises of protest and discontent when responses were given that they did not agree with. Audience members also began to grow angry when it seemed as if the hosts were singling out politicians and public figures to speak as opposed to allowing the people’s voices to be heard.

Key political figures present who shared their opinions included: Mayor Joe Riley, Police Chief Gregory Mullen, State Senator Marlon Kimpson, CCSD School Board Member Michael Miller, and Former SC House of Representatives Member Bakari Sellers. Several Bonds Wilson Campus students were also present; AMHS seniors Natalie Davidson, William Pugh, and Rachel Clyburn were joined in representing S.A.M.E by School of the Arts students, Jada Orr, Alexandra Hepburn and Noah Jones.

The most emotional moment of the night came when a young girl dissolved into tears over being subjected to stereotypes at school; she was quickly comforted by Pharrell, who responded by telling the girl that she was beautiful. This moment was closely followed by Bakari Sellers introducing his father, Cleveland Sellers, who was shot in the Orangeburg Massacre and then wrongly convicted and imprisoned for a year, before he was pardoned of all charges 25 years later. The younger Sellers emotionally discussed the pressure he felt to continue his father’s work and then, when asked why he was crying, replied by stating that he was crying for Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Walter Scott, the Emmanuel Nine, and even Emmett Till.

While emotional monologues like this were prevalent throughout the night, there was a lack of discussion on the actual goal of the night, as was often reiterated by Soledad O’Brian: Solutions. One of the few solutions that was consistently brought up was education. Senior William Pugh had the opportunity to discuss this solution, stating that “We need to end segregation in schools.”

Tune into A & E on November 20th at 8:00 pm for the two hour special, highlighting race relations in Charleston, Ferguson, Baltimore and Chicago.