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The Charleston shooting is part of a long history of anti-black terrorism

Was the shooting that killed nine people in Charleston's Emanuel AME Church on Wednesday terrorism? To answer that, you have to know what made the church special — and how it and South Carolina have been targeted by centuries of anti-black terrorism. Here's why the attack was all too familiar and all too terrifying:

For much more on the Charleston shooting, see our full coverage.

SC freedmen’s bureau attacks Christophe Haubursin/Vox