The churches of St. Landry Parish
Eugene Scott at the Post points out that Trump tweeted about Notre Dame twice but had said nothing about the three Louisiana black churches that burned down.
On Tuesday, state authorities charged Holden Matthews, a 21-year-old white man and the son of the local police deputy, with hate crimes in the Louisiana church attacks. He was earlier charged with arson.
Of course, the churches in Louisiana are significantly younger than Notre Dame. But they also have a rich history and played a significant role in St. Landry Parish’s black community. At least one hosts a cemetery containing graves of black people enslaved in Louisiana.
“My church has a lot of history,” the Rev. Gerald Toussaint of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, which is more than 140 years old, told the Daily Advertiser. “I don’t understand it. What could make a person do that to a church?”
Greater Union Baptist Church is also more than 100 years old, according to Pastor Harry Richard, whose grandfather was one of the congregation’s founders.
Their histories are relatively short because the potential parishioners were otherwise engaged and couldn’t get away, if you know what I mean.
The burning of black churches was a common intimidation tactic during the Jim Crow era. “For decades, African-American churches have served as the epicenter of survival and a symbol of hope for many in the African-American community,” Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, said last week in a statement condemning the fires. “As a consequence, these houses of faith have historically been the targets of violence.”
The houses and sometimes the people in them.
The church fires have, of course, drawn wide coverage and attention. The Louisiana governor mentioned it in his recent state of the state. But top Trump administration officials have not spoken out on or condemned the violence.
Good people on both sides, both sides.
As we hold Paris in our thoughts today, let’s also send some love to our neighbors in Louisiana. Three historically black churches have burned in recent weeks, charring buildings and scattering communities. If you can, contribute to rebuilding funds here: https://t.co/OSteYWzU9v
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 16, 2019
It’s at $1,529,669 as of this moment.
I await the inevitable op-ed pieces on “Why Won’t Hillary Just Go Away?” I mean, the nerve of her, commenting on church burnings in the South. Who does she think she is, a public figure with a platform that could be used to do some good? Clearly an ambitious shrew who must be burned at the stake.
Screechy, maybe I’ll write an op-ed on “Why Won’t Trump Just Go Away?”. It’s a better question, anyway.