Former Minor League Baseball Player to Discuss Forgiveness Following Charleston Shooting

CONTACT Sarah Backer
ORGANIZATION Westminster College
PHONE Office: (573) 592-5438; Cell: (573) 220-9038
EMAIL Sarah.Backer@westminster-mo.edu
WEB wcmo.edu

Fulton, Mo.—March 4, 2020: Inspirational speaker and former Minor League Baseball outfielder Chris Singleton will speak at 7 p.m. on March 11 in the Coulter Science Center Lecture Hall in Coulter Science Center at Westminster College. The talk, which was rescheduled on Jan. 16 because of inclement weather, is free and open to the public.

Singleton’s presentation titled “Triumph Over Tragedy” will focus on his perspective of his mother’s death at the hands of a racist, white supremacist on June 17, 2015, at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, or Mother Emanual AME Church, in Charleston, SC. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton was one of nine people killed in the church that day.

Despite the sheer tragedy and violent nature of the victims’ deaths, Singleton is famous for his forgiveness of the murderer. His message that “love is stronger than hate” ― which has generated interest from national media such as NBC’s TODAY show and USA Today ― will be central to his talk.

“I want schools, universities and companies everywhere to hear my story of overcoming unthinkable adversity so that they, too, can realize they can overcome whatever life throws at them,” Singleton says here of his speaking engagements. “I want to teach others to love one another, not based on religion, race or skin color.”

Drafted out of Charleston Southern University, Singleton was a Minor League outfielder in the Chicago Cubs organization.

Singleton’s talk is sponsored by Westminster’s Campus Activities Board.

Founded in 1851 and home of Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech, Westminster College in Fulton, MO, is ranked prestigiously by U.S. News & World Report as a National Liberal Arts College. The institution is in the top 15 percent for graduate earnings and boasts a 98 percent placement rate. Westminster also is a Forbes Best Value College. Westminster focuses on educating and inspiring students to find the power in their purpose in order to become the world leaders of tomorrow.

To find out more about Westminster, visit our website here.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Sarah Backer at 573 592-5438, 573-220-9038 or Sarah.Backer@westminster-mo.edu.

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Sarah Rummel Backer

Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.