Wave of Black Church Arsons Across the South

Between 1995 and 1996, at least 66 predominantly Black churches were burned across the South and elsewhere, including Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal congregations. Fires destroyed historic churches in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Congress passed the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996 unanimously. President Clinton convened a task force; investigators linked some fires to white supremacist groups.