Charleston Women Spring 2021

www. Char l es tonWomen . com | www. Char l es tonWomenPodcas t . com | www. ReadCW. com CW W hen Chris Singleton speaks about his mother, there’s a sense of elation in his voice. Sharonda Coleman Singleton held her three children to a high standard. “No C’s were allowed,” Chris reminisced. “She expected greatness.” She was a single mother, a speech language pathologist and a youth pastor. Chris said she worked various other freelance jobs too. “I don’t know how she slept! She was a hard worker. We never wanted for anything.” She grew up in Newark, New Jersey and Chris said she definitely “had street smarts.” On the evening of June 17, 2015, Sharonda attended a prayer group at her church, Mother Emanuel AME. That night, she was murdered, along with eight other members of the church, by a young white male. His motive was race-related, and at only 46 years old with three young children, Sharonda became the victim of a hate crime. “She was killed because of the color of her skin,” Chris said, his voice low. MOVING FORWARD In the days and weeks that followed, Chris said he struggled to find reasons to go on. He was only 18 years old at the time and the oldest of the three children. His sister was 15 then, and his little brother was only 11. “I started looking at motivational speeches online, and Inspired By Mom The Chris Singleton Story Photos cour t esy of Chr i s S i ng l e ton . BY THERESA STRATFORD I realized I had a story to tell. I could only hope that my story might inspire others to keep going too,” he shared. When Chris speaks, people listen. He has that way about him. He believes life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. He speaks about how his mom was judged for the color of her skin, and he speaks about unity. He addresses trauma and tells his audience not to let that define who you are. He talks about preconceived notions and the dangers that come from pre-judgement. He said he never saw himself doing this, but after his mother passed, he felt “called.” “I don’t feel I was destined to do this. It stems directly from what happened to my mom.” THE INSPIRATION Chris drew inspiration from his mother of course, but also from his faith in God. Preventing hate crimes is a driving force for him, but now he is a father himself, and he said that making the world a better place for his now