Americans United Condemns Racist Attacks On Washington, D.C., Black Churches

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, issued the following statement in the wake of the racist attacks on two historic, Black churches in Washington, D.C., last weekend:

“Our hearts are heavy this week as we reckon with racist attacks on two of D.C.’s most historic Black churches. The burnings of Black Lives Matter banners by the Proud Boys, a group identified by SPLC as a hate group, are just the most recent examples of the emboldened white Christian nationalism we have witnessed over these past four years. Saturday’s actions are a reminder that the fights for true religious freedom and racial justice are inextricably linked. 

“We must unite against all actions that seek to privilege white Christians above all others. We will never stop fighting for an America that fulfills its promise of freedom and equality for all of us, no matter what our religious beliefs, what we look like, who we love, or who we are.”

Americans United is a religious freedom advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, AU educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. Learn more at au.org.