Mission Statement

The Black Church Burning Project exists to identify, document, and preserve the history of Black churches in the American South that were burned or bombed during the Civil Rights Era. Through rigorous research and community collaboration, we seek to honor the congregations who endured this violence, restore their stories to the historical record, and support truth-telling, remembrance, and justice.

About the Project

The Black Church Burning Project is a research and public history initiative dedicated to uncovering and documenting every Black church in the American South that was burned or bombed during the Civil Rights Era (1954–1970).

For decades, historians, communities, and descendants have known that hundreds of churches were targeted by racial violence during this period – yet no comprehensive list has ever been created. Many incidents were never reported publicly, were minimized by authorities, or were forgotten over time. Some are remembered only in local memories, church bulletins, or family stories.

This project brings together archival research, digital tools, community testimony, and scholarly analysis to build the first publicly accessible database of these events. By recovering the names of congregations, documenting the circumstances of the attacks, and mapping patterns of violence, we aim to provide a fuller picture of how racial terror shaped the Civil Rights Movement and the communities at its heart.

Our work is grounded in several commitments:

• Truth-telling: Restoring these events to public memory.
• Community partnership: Listening to pastors, congregations, historians, and local leaders who hold this history.
• Accessibility: Making this information freely available to the public, scholars, churches, and descendants.
• Justice: Supporting remembrance, repair, and healing by honoring the congregations who endured these attacks.

Ultimately, this project seeks to ensure that these churches are remembered in the historical record with the dignity they deserve.

Why This Matters

Black churches were more than places of worship – they were centers of community life, hubs of the Civil Rights Movement, and sacred spaces of identity, safety, and hope. When these buildings were burned or bombed, the impact rippled far beyond the walls of the sanctuary.

Documenting this history matters because:

• It honors the resilience of the congregations who rebuilt again and again.
• It restores stories that were ignored, minimized, or lost.
• It deepens our understanding of racial violence in American history.
• It supports communities seeking truth, justice, healing, or public acknowledgment.

Remembering these events is part of remembering the full truth of the Civil Rights Movement – and the cost borne by the communities who led it.

How You Can Contribute

If you know of a congregation that experienced a burning, bombing, or attempted attack during the Civil Rights Era, please share what you know. No detail is too small.

You can help by:

• Submitting information through our online form
• Sharing church histories, documents, or oral stories
• Connecting us with pastors, archivists, or elders
• Helping us identify local events that were never publicly recorded

Every story helps us build a fuller, truer record.