Contribution to Book
The Fire the Time: Black Church Burnings in the Era of Obama and Black Lives Matter
Religion and American Politics Domestic and International Contexts
(2023)
Abstract
The violent acts perpetrated against Black churches motivated by racial hatred have an extensive history in America that persists. This chapter partly examines the evolution of racialized violence against Black churches in the post-Civil War era across various United States regions and segues into modern cases. The chapter focuses on the resurgence of Black church fires and vandalism during both terms of President Barack Obama. The fires from 2008 to 2016 are examined amid the recent justice movement (Black Lives Matter) centered on the equity of African Americans and the re-emergence of white nationalism. The chapter capitulates that some of the fires represent a new nadir of American race relations and prompts the question: What do the fires symbolize at this juncture of our racist realities? In examining violence against Black cultural spaces, the term “heritage terrorism” is employed to describe the lasting impact of terror against tangible and intangible heritage resources. The chapter uses case studies to illustrate the historical arc of racialized terror in Black cultural spaces and draws parallels from past and recent violence against Black churches. In addition to addressing the trauma and terror, the chapter explores how congregations rebuild, analyze the often burden of radical compassion, and expound on ways Black cultural spaces continually affirm the value of Black lives.
Keywords
- Black Church,
- Terrorism,
- Arson
Disciplines
Publication Date
Spring 2023
Editor
Paulina Napierala
Publisher
Peter Lang
ISBN
9783631865965
DOI
10.3726/b21390
Citation Information
Jajuan Johnson. "The Fire the Time: Black Church Burnings in the Era of Obama and Black Lives Matter" BerlinReligion and American Politics Domestic and International Contexts Vol. 19 (2023) p. 279 - 301 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jajuan-johnson/3/