Arson Attacks on Black Churches
by Black church arsons are slowly becoming a reemerging problem across the American South. Civil rights activists are confronted with terrorist acts by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and other white supremacist organizations that seek to regain the absolute power that whites held prior to the civil rights movement.
NationsBank Corporation offered a prize of $50,000_$100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in over ten incidents of arson in the American South. NationsBank’s efforts were meant to eliminate any possibility of future arson against black churches. The Christian Coalition joined forces with black church officials to offer a repentant gesture for centuries of senseless violence. Uniting two powerful organizations brought peace between black pastors and the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention was created by an antebellum division between northern and southern Baptists over slavery. An apology was later issued by the Southern Baptist Convention for its racist perspective on black bondage. Ralph Reed, executive director of the Southern Baptist Convention, asked that its affiliate churches run a special charity collection on July 14, 1996 in an effort to raise approximately one million dollars to rebuild several burned churches. Black pastors have received assistance from the National Council of Churches-a New York City-based faction composed of thirty-three Protestant and Orthodox denominations. Widespread cooperation among predominantly white religious groups and black churches is a symbol of a growing trend to terminate racial conflict in the United States.
Arson or Accident Debate
A great debate exists on whether most black church arsons are intentional or accidental. Investigators often interrogate pastors and other church officials of their whereabouts when a particular blaze commenced. Judiciary committees are usually skeptical about how moral the research methods used by investigative groups like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) are. Government officials noted that ten ATF agents were discovered participating in an annual ”Good O’ Boy” meeting featuring Uncle Tom shows. Such practices have generated great distress among Americans residing in the southern states concerning whether their civil rights are being safeguarded by responsible officials.
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