NPR

In Virginia, 2 Churches Feel The Aftermath Of Trump's Racist Rhetoric

Two small-town Virginia churches with the same name, but very different congregations, recently found themselves tangled in controversy related to the president's tweets.
Pastor Earnie Lucas of Friendship Baptist Church in Appomattox, Va., posted this message on his church sign around the same time that President Trump tweeted that four Democratic members of Congress — all women of color — should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."

This is a story about two small-town Virginia churches with the same name, but two very different congregations. They've each found themselves caught up in controversy tied to President Trump's racist rhetoric. NPR's Sarah McCammon recently visited both congregations.

A welcome sign on the way into town reads "Historic Appomattox: Where Our Nation Reunited." But here in Appomattox, where the Civil War ended more than 150 years ago, there are still reminders of division.

Not far away, a sign posted in front of Friendship Baptist Church reads "AMERICA: LOVE IT OR

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