Once a haven for the entire community, the Black church is losing some of its younger members to witchcraft.

Over the last 510 years, more Black millennials and Gen Z’ers are breaking away from Christianity as a religion and seeking Black ancestral spiritual practices. While the practice of magic and the term “witch” is often associated with whiteness, Black women have been reclaiming the space and traditions that originated in West Africa, Cuba, and Jamaica and migrated through the transatlantic slave trade. A 2021 Pew Study found that while most Black people still identify as Christian or Protestant, 15% of Black Americans surveyed say they pray at a home altar or shrine more than once a week, while 8% burn candles, incense or sage for spiritual or religious reasons as often, and 8% also say they consult a diviner or reader several times a week.

This new “trend” has been catapulted by social media where Black women are creating safe spaces to practice divination through astrology, tarot card readings, creating altars, and other rituals without fear of isolation or persecution.

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