Illinois township to start push for Nobel Peace Prize for Emanuel AME, Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Members from the largest township in Illinois will announce this week its efforts to put Emanuel AME Church and the city of Charleston in the running for the Nobel Peace Prize. Thornton Township leaders Frank M. Zuccarelli and Illinois state Sen. Donne Trotter will present several resolutions to Emanuel AME and Charleston from the township, the Illinois Senate, and the City of Chicago in support of a Nobel Peace Prize for the way the church and city handled the aftermath of the shooting at the church that killed nine members. “Isn’t that for somebody or some group that has initiated something that promotes peace? Who could have reacted any way more than to promote peace than Emanuel AME church and greater community of Charleston,” Zuccarelli said. The group will present the resolutions Wednesday evening at Emanuel AME and meet with city and church officials to discuss the efforts made after the shooting. That information will go back to Illinois for township leaders to create a security protocol for the 17 municipalities there. “We recognized at that point Charleston was a special place and we needed to come here to Charleston and find out just how they did it,” Thornton Township Supervisor Frank Zuccarelli said. “That’s what we do in government. We don‘t try to reinvent the wheel. We try to find those nuance things that do enhance and enrich the quality of life for the people that we serve,” Illinois state Sen. Donne Trotter said. A release from the township noted the way the city and church came together in an expression of unity and peace after the shooting. The group has organized a busy three-day schedule, meeting with City Council member William Dudley Gregorie, YWCA director Garcia Williams, and Bernie Mazyck with the South Carolina Association for Community and Economic Development. The group will also appear at Burke High School for the planned discussion on racial violence called “The Ties That Bind Two Cities.” On Wednesday, the Illinois delegation will meet with Black Lives Matter, members of Charleston First Assembly Church, and then Dr. Tracy Snipe, the moderator of Tuesday’s event at Burke High School. The group also has planned to attend the Bible study at Emanuel AME. On Thursday, the group will meet with Rev. Norvel Goff at Emanuel AME, Mayor Pro-Tem Keith Waring, Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen, and the city’s media relations director Barbara Vaughn. Photo courtesy of WCIV