As the Confederate flag comes down a hundred miles from Charleston, the historic Emanuel AME still sits on Calhoun Street, named for the staunch advocate of slavery John C. Calhoun. Calhoun was a champion of the political and philosophical argument behind secession that bred states’ rights. As a U.S. Vice President then senator, he didn’t just espouse the racist ideology of institutionalizing the dehumanization of Black lives. He was an architect of it.

But Calhoun isn't the only historical figure in Charleston's history. Denmark Vesey, the free man who purchased his own way out of slavery, staged a revolt against slave masters, with much of the planning taking place within the walls of the historic 'Mother' Emanuel AME in 1822. Though word leaked about the uprising before it could be realized, Vesey and Mother Emanuel stand tall in our collective memories of Charleston. The recent attack on the church is another reminder of the ongoing fight for racial justice--in Charleston and everywhere. It's time to tell Charleston City Council to celebrate those lost in the June 17 attack by renaming Calhoun Street to Emanuel 9 Way to #HonorThem.