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Millions of Euros have been pledged to help rebuild Notre Dame after a fire ravaged the 800-year-old building, and, inspired, people decided to donate to smaller places of worship also destroyed by arson.
Three churches known for their predominantly black parishioners have been destroyed by fire in Louisiana, and have received more than $1,066,033 (£817,204) in donations following a crowdfunding campaign on Tuesday.
A number of people online had pointed out the inequality in millions being pledged to rebuild the historic building in France, while small churches in Louisiana were still struggling.
“These communities need to know that people care about them and what they’re going through,” Jessica Piombo, a professor who lives in Monterey, California, wrote on the campaign’s page.
Another wrote: “I was going to donate to help rebuild Notre Dame. Then I thought I should really help these churches closer to home, who don’t have billionaires pledging hundreds of millions.”
Arson of the type these churches suffered is an embarrassment to me, and a horror no church should have to suffer.
The donations will go towards rebuilding and replacing what was destroyed.
At the time of the writing of this article, 19,687 people donated to the churches.
The fires occurred over the course of just over a week; St Mary Baptist on 26 March, Greater Union Baptist Church on 2 April and Mount Pleasant Baptist in Opelousas two days later.
The son of a deputy sheriff Holden Matthews, 21, has been accused of setting them, and charged with arson and hate crimes.
People have been donating to the black churches.
H/T New York Times
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