Ethel W. Lee Lance was a 70-year-old Black woman and lifelong member of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. A Charleston native, she had raised her family there and served as the church’s sexton for the five years before her death, attending the building nearly every day for work, worship, or Bible study. She was a mother of five, grandmother of seven, and great-grandmother of four and described as a matriarch who encouraged her grandchildren to succeed.

On the evening of June 17, 2015, Lance was attending Wednesday night Bible study when a young man, later identified as Dylann Roof, opened fire after sitting with the parishioners for about an hour. The attack was described as a racially motivated hate crime; Lance was one of nine people killed in the massacre. Roof was arrested the next day, charged in federal and state courts, and during his federal trial survivors testified and he admitted his racist motives in a jailhouse journal. Some family members, including Lance’s daughter Nadine Collier, spoke about forgiveness; other relatives expressed anger and opposition to the death penalty.

Did anyone who attended Emanuel AME that night or knew Ethel’s role at the church have memories or details to share about her presence there?