Three Historic Black Churches Burned in Louisiana in Wave of Hate Crimes

Three historic Black churches in Louisiana were destroyed by fire within 10 days in June 2026. Authorities identified the attacks as racially motivated arson, calling them hate crimes.

Greater Union Baptist Church, St. Mary Baptist Church, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church were all burned. Each congregation had served its community for close to a century. The fires left hundreds of families without a place of worship and destroyed irreplaceable records, artifacts, and community gathering spaces.

Rev. Gerald Toussaint, pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, addressed his congregation after the fire. "We represent love. Togetherness. Peace. Long suffering. Hope," he said. "That's what we're here today to say, not just to our community, but to our country. Be strong."

The National Urban League connected the attacks to a broader rise in hate crimes across the United States. FBI data shows a 17 percent increase in reported hate crimes between 2016 and 2017, with more than 7,100 incidents reported in 2017 alone. Sixty percent of those were racially motivated.

The Southern Poverty Law Center documented a near-50 percent increase in white nationalist groups during the same period, from 100 to 148 chapters. The Anti-Defamation League recorded a 182 percent surge in white supremacist propaganda incidents.

The National Black Church Initiative, which represents 150,000 churches and 27.7 million members, raised its threat level to "Elevated" for member congregations. The organization advised churches to coordinate with local law enforcement and strengthen security measures.

The destruction of Black churches has deep historical roots in American racial violence. The 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four young girls, became a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement.