A city ordinance criminalized any black attempt to worship at a white church

Evidence

Convinced that defending segregation in public institutions at the local level depended on ensuring segregation in Jackson’s churches, Thompson led the city council to pass an ordinance in 1963 that made “disturbing divine worship” an offense punishable by a fine of up to $500 and up to six months in prison. He then instructed the police department that any attempt by an African American to worship at a white church qualified as a violation of this ordinance, even if the person was there peacefully or present at the invitation of a white member. The ordinance was enforced so aggressively that in several instances not only African American worshippers but also white members of the church who invited them were literally dragged from the church pews, arrested, and jailed. — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 126

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The antebellum Black church preached prophetic witness against racism itself — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project: A New American Origin…, 1016; The black church substituted for every barred public accommodation in segregated America — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The Women’s…, 62

Broader Connections

• The antebellum Black church preached prophetic witness against racism itself #complicates (0.75) — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 1016