Lansing resident Crystal Michelle was a main organizer in creating the event, “Say Her Name/Pray for Charleston,” and she said she did it as a way to bring the community together to mourn an event she felt disheartened by.

"When I heard the news about Charleston, I was heartbroken and I was terrified and I wanted to gain a sense of community with people in Lansing and people in Michigan, who were also feeling the same feelings I was," Michelle said. 

Michelle read a speech by MSU student Teeoncey Sanders who was unable to attend the event, and a poem Michelle wrote herself for those in attendance. After that she, along with her co-event organizers, read off biographies from the nine people killed in the Charleston shooting, followed by two minutes of silence and the event concluded with The Lord's Prayer.