[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 12, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H6278-H6279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE BURNING OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHURCHES IN THE SOUTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
Gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, from Johnson Grove Baptist 
Church in Tennessee in January 1995, to the Church of the Living God in 
Greenville, TX, just this week, America's black churches are under 
siege. The recent outbreak of arson crimes throughout the United States 
recalls a dark era in the history of our great Nation. In all, 33 black 
churches have been torched in the past 18 months in a rash of 
disturbing acts of violence, racism, and hatred. This cannot be 
tolerated.
  The pain and anguish of these fires can be felt here in Washington 
and throughout the Nation by people of all races and creeds who value 
tolerance and diversity. While there is no clear evidence of a national 
conspiracy, it is clear that racial hostility is the driving force 
behind these reprehensible incidents. This must and will stop.
  It is hard to imagine a more depraved and senseless act of violence 
than the destruction of a place of worship. In this Nation, black 
churches were burned in the 1950's and 1960's to intimidate civil 
rights workers. The sight of a Southern black church burning is part of 
a hateful mosaic which includes beatings, murders, and lynchings. It is 
easy to try and relegate these memories to the past. Yet, the recent 
crimes show that there is much work to be done when it comes to the end 
of discrimination and the promotion of civil rights for all.
  As many oppressed races and religions know, the specter of hatred can 
rise at any time and in any place. We must always remain vigilant if 
all Americans are to have an equal opportunity to taste the sweet fruit 
of freedom.
  These fires struck at the very heart and soul of the black community. 
Every family, without regard to race, has a right to expect that when 
they walk into a church, synagogue, mosque, or other place of worship, 
they will find a place of prayer and quiet contemplation and not the 
charred remnants of a hateful act perpetrated by cowards in the night.
  We must work together as a nation to safeguard the right of every 
American to pray in safety in their own house of worship. That is what 
America stands for. That is why thousands of Americans have laid down 
their lives over the centuries, Mr. Speaker: to protect the lives of 
all Americans to worship as they choose, if they choose, to worship in 
safety, peace, and free of violence.
  Ultimately, it is up to us to end this senseless violence. We must 
say to those who would feed upon what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 
called the ``stale bread and spoiled meat of racism'' that they have 
lost sight of what America stands for. That is not the American way. 
Together, we can smother the fires of racial hatred which fuel this 
violence.
  Religious freedom is one of the founding principles of our democracy 
and the black church has historically been the center of worship, self-
help, and community life for millions of Americans. In my own home of 
Montgomery County, PA, some of my fondest memories are of the 
fellowship and friendship I have shared with my friends in many of the 
black congregations of my district.
  We must all do our part to end this rash of violence. In Congress, 
Mr. Speaker, we have introduced legislation to deter these arson crimes 
and to increase the penalties for those who would perpetrate them. 
Americans must rise up and show the forces of hatred they cannot win 
and are not welcome here.

[[Page H6279]]

  The United States is a great nation because for more than 200 years 
we have worked together to honor the religious convictions of freedom 
and celebrated the extraordinary religious diversity of our people. By 
unleashing the full strength of that freedom and diversity we can 
ensure that nothing will be able to divide us or defeat us.

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