When Racists Attack Black Churches

A brief history of horrific events since 1956.

Destroying Black Churches - The recent violent attack against the Emanuel AME Church is part of a long history of violence against Black churches in the U.S. During the Civil Rights Movement, the attacks were so frequent, only the most horrific are remembered by name. And after a lull in frequency, the country saw a surge of attacks against Black churches between 1995 and 1996, with more than 50 churches affected. As we’ve seen in some of the reports from the times of those attacks, history keeps repeating itself. — Dana Saxon (Photo: David Goldman-Pool/Getty Images)

1 / 12

Destroying Black Churches - The recent violent attack against the Emanuel AME Church is part of a long history of violence against Black churches in the U.S. During the Civil Rights Movement, the attacks were so frequent, only the most horrific are remembered by name. And after a lull in frequency, the country saw a surge of attacks against Black churches between 1995 and 1996, with more than 50 churches affected. As we’ve seen in some of the reports from the times of those attacks, history keeps repeating itself. — Dana Saxon (Photo: David Goldman-Pool/Getty Images)

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (Alabama, 1963) - In perhaps one of the most well-known attacks on a Black church in recent history, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was bombed on the morning of Sept. 15, 1963, in Birmingham, Ala. Two hundred church members were in the building when the bomb was detonated. More than 20 people were injured. However, four young girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Denise McNair, lost their lives.The church had been the starting point for many desegregation demonstrations earlier that year, where civil rights leaders had called for peace and nonviolence. Yet the church’s pastor, Rev. John H. Cross, indicated he expected such a violent attack. As quoted by the Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) on Sept. 16, “We’ve been expecting this all along, waiting for it, knowing it would come, wondering when.” The pastor, as the pa...

2 / 12

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (Alabama, 1963) - In perhaps one of the most well-known attacks on a Black church in recent history, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was bombed on the morning of Sept. 15, 1963, in Birmingham, Ala. Two hundred church members were in the building when the bomb was detonated. More than 20 people were injured. However, four young girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Denise McNair, lost their lives.The church had been the starting point for many desegregation demonstrations earlier that year, where civil rights leaders had called for peace and nonviolence. Yet the church’s pastor, Rev. John H. Cross, indicated he expected such a violent attack. As quoted by the Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) on Sept. 16, “We’ve been expecting this all along, waiting for it, knowing it would come, wondering when.” The pastor, as the pa...

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (Alabama, 1963) - In perhaps one of the most well-known attacks on a Black church in recent history, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was bombed on the morning of Sept. 15, 1963, in Birmingham, Ala. Two hundred church members were in the building when the bomb was detonated. More than 20 people were injured. However, four young girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Denise McNair, lost their lives.The church had been the starting point for many desegregation demonstrations earlier that year, where civil rights leaders had called for peace and nonviolence. Yet the church’s pastor, Rev. John H. Cross, indicated he expected such a violent attack. As quoted by the Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) on Sept. 16, “We’ve been expecting this all along, waiting for it, knowing it would come, wondering when.” The pastor, as the pa...

3 / 12

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (Alabama, 1963) - In perhaps one of the most well-known attacks on a Black church in recent history, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was bombed on the morning of Sept. 15, 1963, in Birmingham, Ala. Two hundred church members were in the building when the bomb was detonated. More than 20 people were injured. However, four young girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Denise McNair, lost their lives.The church had been the starting point for many desegregation demonstrations earlier that year, where civil rights leaders had called for peace and nonviolence. Yet the church’s pastor, Rev. John H. Cross, indicated he expected such a violent attack. As quoted by the Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) on Sept. 16, “We’ve been expecting this all along, waiting for it, knowing it would come, wondering when.” The pastor, as the pa...

Bethel Baptist (Alabama, 1956) - Bethel Baptist Church, active in the fight against segregation and considered the mother church of the civil rights movement in Birmingham, was bombed with dynamite on Dec. 25, 1956. Also hit by the blast was the home of the church’s pastor, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who lived next door. The explosion knocked the home off its foundation and shattered the church windows. Although the Shuttlesworth family was at home at the time of the blast, the family escaped without major injury. According to the Evening Star’s report on Dec. 26, 1956, Rev. Shuttlesworth shouted to the crowd as he walked through the church’s debris, “The Lord has protected me. I’m not injured.” Police estimated that crowd of more than 1,500 Black supporters gathered to show their support. Two more bombings occurred at Bethel in later years. (Photo by Gary Tramontina/Getty Images)

4 / 12

Bethel Baptist (Alabama, 1956) - Bethel Baptist Church, active in the fight against segregation and considered the mother church of the civil rights movement in Birmingham, was bombed with dynamite on Dec. 25, 1956. Also hit by the blast was the home of the church’s pastor, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who lived next door. The explosion knocked the home off its foundation and shattered the church windows. Although the Shuttlesworth family was at home at the time of the blast, the family escaped without major injury. According to the Evening Star’s report on Dec. 26, 1956, Rev. Shuttlesworth shouted to the crowd as he walked through the church’s debris, “The Lord has protected me. I’m not injured.” Police estimated that crowd of more than 1,500 Black supporters gathered to show their support. Two more bombings occurred at Bethel in later years. (Photo by Gary Tramontina/Getty Images)

/content/dam/betcom/images/2015/06/National/061915-national-history-of-attacks-on-black-churches-Mt-Zion-AME-church.jpg

5 / 12

Macedonia Baptist Church (South Carolina, 1995) - On June 20, 1995, in Manning, S.C., several members of the Klu Klux Klan conspired to burn down the Macedonia Baptist Church. The church had received a threatening note from the Klan several months earlier, as reported by Rev. Jonathan Mouzan. On June 30, 1995, The Post and Courier (Charleston) interviewed Mouzan, “They knew the congregation was Black,” he said. “It was quite disturbing.” The day after Macedonia Baptist Church was attacked, the Klan destroyed another Black church in Manning: Mt. Zion AME.The Macedonia Baptist Church filed a civil suit against the Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, based in North Carolina, as reported by the NY Times in 1996. According to Randolph Scott-McLaughlin, vice president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, “[T]he real point is that if Klansmen and Nazis find their property tied up ...

ADVERTISEMENT
Thomas Chapel Benevolent Society (Louisiana, 1996) - On Feb. 1, 1996, in the early morning, four Black churches within six miles of each other in Louisiana were burned by arsonists. The churches were Cypress Grove Baptist Church, St. Paul’s Free Baptist Church, Sweet Home Baptist Church and Thomas Chapel Benevolent Society. The attacks on the Black churches were clearly related. However, evidence to solve the crimes was limited at the time. In June 1996, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, “In Louisiana last week people were baffled by the crimes, yet confident that their congregations will be strengthened by the fires.” (Photo: Tim Boyle/Newsmakers)

6 / 12

Thomas Chapel Benevolent Society (Louisiana, 1996) - On Feb. 1, 1996, in the early morning, four Black churches within six miles of each other in Louisiana were burned by arsonists. The churches were Cypress Grove Baptist Church, St. Paul’s Free Baptist Church, Sweet Home Baptist Church and Thomas Chapel Benevolent Society. The attacks on the Black churches were clearly related. However, evidence to solve the crimes was limited at the time. In June 1996, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, “In Louisiana last week people were baffled by the crimes, yet confident that their congregations will be strengthened by the fires.” (Photo: Tim Boyle/Newsmakers)

Rocky Point Missionary Baptist Church (Mississippi, 1993) - During the morning of April 5, 1993, three white teenagers burned down the Rocky Point Missionary Baptist Church in Pike County, Miss. As they drove away from the fire, they screamed, "Burn, n****r, burn." In June 1996, the Washington Post interviewed Tom Royals, an attorney for one of the convicted teenagers. He believed the crime was not a reflection of a pattern of racism. “It was an irrational act,” Royals explained. “They were young, drunk and crazy.”(Photo: Henry Guttmann/Getty Images)

7 / 12

Rocky Point Missionary Baptist Church (Mississippi, 1993) - During the morning of April 5, 1993, three white teenagers burned down the Rocky Point Missionary Baptist Church in Pike County, Miss. As they drove away from the fire, they screamed, "Burn, n****r, burn." In June 1996, the Washington Post interviewed Tom Royals, an attorney for one of the convicted teenagers. He believed the crime was not a reflection of a pattern of racism. “It was an irrational act,” Royals explained. “They were young, drunk and crazy.”(Photo: Henry Guttmann/Getty Images)

Little Zion Baptist Church & Mt. Zoar Baptist Church (Alabama, 1996) - During the evening of Jan. 11, 1996, Little Zion Baptist Church and Mt. Zoar Baptist Church were burned to the ground in Green County, Ala. This followed a similar attack on another Black church in the same area just three weeks earlier. Although members of Little Zion initially thought their church was burned due to faulty wiring, when they learned of Mt. Zoar burning at the same time, they understood it was most likely racially motivated arson. In April 1996, People Magazine reported on the string of attacks that targeted Black churches throughout the South. Regarding the attacks on Little Zion and Mt. Zoar, Barrown Lankster, the local district attorney who was investigating a total of three fires that destroyed three local churches explained, “What's being attacked is the power base of the African-Americ...

8 / 12

Little Zion Baptist Church & Mt. Zoar Baptist Church (Alabama, 1996) - During the evening of Jan. 11, 1996, Little Zion Baptist Church and Mt. Zoar Baptist Church were burned to the ground in Green County, Ala. This followed a similar attack on another Black church in the same area just three weeks earlier. Although members of Little Zion initially thought their church was burned due to faulty wiring, when they learned of Mt. Zoar burning at the same time, they understood it was most likely racially motivated arson. In April 1996, People Magazine reported on the string of attacks that targeted Black churches throughout the South. Regarding the attacks on Little Zion and Mt. Zoar, Barrown Lankster, the local district attorney who was investigating a total of three fires that destroyed three local churches explained, “What's being attacked is the power base of the African-Americ...

Johnson Grove Baptist Church (Tennessee, 1995) - On the morning of Jan. 13, 1995, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, both Johnson Grove Baptist Church (Denmark, Tenn.) and Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church (Fruitvale, Tenn.) were set ablaze. The fires were part of a series of attacks that destroyed three Black churches in less than one month, all located within 20 minutes of each other. From January 1995 through June 1996, a total of eight Black churches were burned under similarly suspicious circumstances.In June 1996, Newsweek reported on the string of attacks, interviewing Selma Cole, an 85-year-old widow who was a dedicated member of Johnson Grove Baptist Church: “‘It was thickly populated when I married back in '27,” she says. 'A lot of sharecroppers lived down around here." Then church membership dwindled to 50. The road that ran by the church was never paved, and ...

9 / 12

Johnson Grove Baptist Church (Tennessee, 1995) - On the morning of Jan. 13, 1995, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, both Johnson Grove Baptist Church (Denmark, Tenn.) and Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church (Fruitvale, Tenn.) were set ablaze. The fires were part of a series of attacks that destroyed three Black churches in less than one month, all located within 20 minutes of each other. From January 1995 through June 1996, a total of eight Black churches were burned under similarly suspicious circumstances.In June 1996, Newsweek reported on the string of attacks, interviewing Selma Cole, an 85-year-old widow who was a dedicated member of Johnson Grove Baptist Church: “‘It was thickly populated when I married back in '27,” she says. 'A lot of sharecroppers lived down around here." Then church membership dwindled to 50. The road that ran by the church was never paved, and ...

Gays Hill Baptist Church (Georgia, 1996) - At 4 a.m. on March 27, 1996, Gays Hill Baptist Church in Millen, Ga., was set on fire with gasoline. The small church was built in 1920. And it took just over a year to rebuild after the fire destroyed it. Gays Hill was one of four Black churches in Georgia that were attacked by arsonists between Jan. 1, 1995 and Jan. 7, 1997, including Swift Creek Missionary Church (Macon), Greater Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church (Macon) and Holy Band of Inspiration Church (Brunswick). In May 1997, the Augusta Chronicle reported on the community’s efforts to rebuild Gays Hill: “It's just a miracle,’ church member Rufus Lee said. ‘When it first happened, we didn't see any way (to rebuild). But we started getting people coming in and helping us, and it made us feel different.’”(Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

10 / 12

Gays Hill Baptist Church (Georgia, 1996) - At 4 a.m. on March 27, 1996, Gays Hill Baptist Church in Millen, Ga., was set on fire with gasoline. The small church was built in 1920. And it took just over a year to rebuild after the fire destroyed it. Gays Hill was one of four Black churches in Georgia that were attacked by arsonists between Jan. 1, 1995 and Jan. 7, 1997, including Swift Creek Missionary Church (Macon), Greater Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church (Macon) and Holy Band of Inspiration Church (Brunswick). In May 1997, the Augusta Chronicle reported on the community’s efforts to rebuild Gays Hill: “It's just a miracle,’ church member Rufus Lee said. ‘When it first happened, we didn't see any way (to rebuild). But we started getting people coming in and helping us, and it made us feel different.’”(Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

ADVERTISEMENT
Glorious Church of God in Christ (Virginia, 1996) - On Feb. 21, 1996, a firebomb claimed the Glorious Church of God in Christ in Richmond, Va. Shortly after, the church’s insurance policy was canceled, reinstated only after a public outcry. This attack was part of a series of hate crimes against Black churches in Virginia. The First Baptist Church (Chester) was firebombed several months earlier. And four months after the Glorious Church bombing, Mount Zion Baptist Church (Charles City County) was attacked, with attackers spray painting racist epithets and hate symbols on the 184-year-old church's fellowship wall. In July 1996, the Workers World Newspaper interviewed Rev. Maudell Dilliard, pastor of Glorious Church. “It's a serious thing,” she said. (Photo: Google Maps)

11 / 12

Glorious Church of God in Christ (Virginia, 1996) - On Feb. 21, 1996, a firebomb claimed the Glorious Church of God in Christ in Richmond, Va. Shortly after, the church’s insurance policy was canceled, reinstated only after a public outcry. This attack was part of a series of hate crimes against Black churches in Virginia. The First Baptist Church (Chester) was firebombed several months earlier. And four months after the Glorious Church bombing, Mount Zion Baptist Church (Charles City County) was attacked, with attackers spray painting racist epithets and hate symbols on the 184-year-old church's fellowship wall. In July 1996, the Workers World Newspaper interviewed Rev. Maudell Dilliard, pastor of Glorious Church. “It's a serious thing,” she said. (Photo: Google Maps)

Macedonia Church of God in Christ (Massachusetts, 2009) - Following the election of President Barack Obama, in the morning hours of Nov. 4, 2008, a Massachusetts man and several accomplices torched the Macedonia Church of God in Christ with gasoline. Michael Jacques, who was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, told police "was angry that the country was going to have an African-American president and that the blacks and Puerto Ricans would now have more rights than whites."(Photo: General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

12 / 12

Macedonia Church of God in Christ (Massachusetts, 2009) - Following the election of President Barack Obama, in the morning hours of Nov. 4, 2008, a Massachusetts man and several accomplices torched the Macedonia Church of God in Christ with gasoline. Michael Jacques, who was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, told police "was angry that the country was going to have an African-American president and that the blacks and Puerto Ricans would now have more rights than whites."(Photo: General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)