PORTLAND — A community event in response to the June 17 shootings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, will be held Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Merrill Auditorium, 18 Myrtle St.

In a June 19 press release, Mayor Michael Brennan invited the public to attend the “Lift Every Voice and Sing” gathering organized by the city, the Portland branch of the NAACP, Portland’s Racial Justice Congress, Green Memorial AME Zion Church, and Williams Temple Church of God in Christ.

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and City Councilor Ed Suslovic will also be among the speakers at the gathering intended to honor the nine people killed at the South Carolina church.