Chris Singleton addresses Warsaw Community High School students during a presentation on Thursday, March 11. InkFreeNews photos by Liz Shepherd.

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — “Forgiveness has freed me from thinking about my mother’s killer all the time. Forgiveness is for you to move forward in your life.”

Chris Singleton, an inspirational speaker and former professional baseball player, spoke to students at the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center on Thursday, March 11. His message focused on racial reconciliation, empathy, unity and forgiveness.

Singleton, 24, began giving inspirational speeches after the death of his mother, Sharonda Coleman Singleton. She was one of nine people murdered in a racially motivated shooting at Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston, S.C., on June 17, 2015.

“The first question people ask me…they look at my story and are like, ‘You’re talking about unity, you’re talking about love,'” said Singleton. “‘How in the world can you talk about this after your mom was murdered because she was black? You’re talking about people coming together and your mom was killed while she was praying because of the color of her skin.’ I don’t believe in a why. Do you want to make the world a better place? I think everyone would say yes.”

He recalled going to a hotel near the church after learning about the shooting and the coroner confirming his mother’s death.

“The unthinkable for me was having to tell my 12-year-old brother and 15-year-old sister that Mom was gone forever,” said Singleton. “No more kiss on the cheek after a game, no more screaming in the stands. All because someone was misinformed and hated me based on the color of my skin. That’s the unthinkable.”

Singleton recalled when the National Football League posted a picture of his mother to Instagram for an “Inspire Change” campaign. When he went to the NFL’s Instagram page to comment his appreciation for the post, Singleton noticed hundreds of negative comments.

“I saw people saying stuff like ‘Why would I say her name? What did she do to deserve to be killed? So I’m supposed to say the name of every black person that’s been killed?’ I saw those comments and it broke my spirit,” said Singleton. “She was a woman who wouldn’t hurt a fly. People ask me what they can do. If you or your friend is doing that, stop them. They think if someone has a decent amount of following, no one cares. People do. They were talking about my mom.”

Singleton alongside “Different” and “Your Life Matters,” two stories he’s authored.

Singleton referenced a quote from Charles Swindoll on how life is 10% action and 90% reaction.

“Ten percent is just given to you, like your name, where you’re born, who you’re born to, the way you grew up most times, you had money or didn’t, you didn’t choose that,” said Singleton. “I think everyone gets caught up in their 10 percent and I keep thinking, that’s only 10 percent. How to respond to it, that’s your 90 percent.”

He used his father’s struggle with alcoholism as an example; Singleton’s father passed away a year after his mother was murdered.

“My ten percent is my alcoholic dad,” said Singleton. “My ninety percent is promising my wife, my son, my brother, my sister, that I’ll never become an alcoholic. My ten percent is the fact that my mother was murdered by a real human being by the name of Dylann Roof. My ninety percent is reteaching people and reminding them because somewhere along the line we forgot nobody chooses their skin color, or their first language. Nobody chooses any of these things and nobody should ever hate you for those things and you shouldn’t hate me for those things because we didn’t choose them.”

Following Singleton’s presentation, he and WCHS staff members led students in discussion-based work, with several students sharing their thoughts on acceptance, differences, forgiveness and empathy.