Drive for 3 burned African American churches tops $1.8M goal
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A crowdfunding drive to help rebuild three African American churches gutted by arson fires in Louisiana has surpassed its original $1.8 million goal.
A spokeswoman for GoFundMe says in a Thursday email that people in all 50 states and around the world have made more than 35,000 donations. Donations totaled more than $1.97 million as of Thursday afternoon.
The money is to be distributed equally among the three century-old St. Landry Parish churches: St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fundraising surged after Monday's Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris, as social media commenters urged people not to forget the plight of the black churches.
A 21-year-old white man, Holden Matthews, was arrested in connection with the fires.