Vigil held in Morningside Heights for Charleston victims during Juneteenth

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS (WABC) -- A number of vigils were held to remember the victims of the Charleston church massacre.

In Manhattan, a large crowd gathered Friday night at Riverside Church.

Civil rights leaders called for strength and love.

"We shall overcome," the parishioners sang.

A powerful civil rights anthem was sung in perfect harmony. It still evokes hope of brighter days even in the face adversity and pain.

For many gathered at The Riverside Church this Juneteenth was bittersweet, marking the 150th celebration of African-American's freedom from slavery, while at the same time mourning the vicious murder of nine African-Americans inside a historic church in Charleston.

"In this moment where we've seen these vicious murders in South Carolina, to see this kind of love, to see this kind of spiritual tenacity," said Dr. Cornel West, of the Union Theological Seminary.

Martin Luther King III and Dr. Cornel West were among the dozens who filled the pews to honor social justice champions Bill Moyers, Marian Wright Edelman, and Reverend Dr. William Barber, while also praying for peace, healing, and understanding across the nation.

"We have to continue to fertilize the soil so that ultimately one day we as a nation we as a nation will create what my father called was a beloved community," said Martin Luther King III, of The Drum Major Institute.

"It comes as a time to have black and white gather together and understand that if there is to be freedom, and if we are to realize the American Dream, we're going to have to do it together," said Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., of Riverside Church.