9th place (tie) — 2026 First in the Family essay contest: Jayda Gaither
FFRF awarded Jayda $400.
By Jayda Gaither
“Repent Now!”
“Heaven or Hell?”
“Jesus Saves!”
These phrases are permanently etched in my brain. I’ve seen these billboards a number of times as I drive down southern roads. On those same streets are Confederate flags, Trump stickers on trucks, and pro-white messages that are hard to ignore.
I begin thinking back to a time when Christianity was forced onto my ancestors, keeping them in a submissive mindset as they waited for their “savior” Jesus to free them. But whose prayers was he answering? The white slave owners who built a country off the backs of Black people while gaining generational wealth and power? The slaves who had to endure torture and pain for centuries while future generations continue to suffer at the hands of the enslavers’ descendants? Because of Christian nationalism, white people have been able to excuse the wrongdoings of their people and continue to create a corrupt country where they’re placed on a pedestal.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution declares that there is no official religion of the United States. But that doesn’t stop politicians from using Christian morals to dictate the lives of its citizens. From Jim Crow laws to creating AI-generated images of the president as Jesus, the “word of God” has been used to create a reality that caters to white America, of which many Black people are oblivious.
During slavery, Black people were prohibited from learning how to read, with the exception of the bible. Other practices and religions that slaves brought with them from Africa were demonized. The bible encouraged slaves to stay in line because there was a light at the end of the tunnel — “heaven.” For generations, this mindset has been passed down, causing many Black people to not take accountability for many aspects of their lives, leaving it all up to God.
I noticed that when I question these ideologies, their entire outlook on life is disrupted, challenging the illusion. White supremacy goes hand in hand with Christian nationalism because the “word of God” has been warped to favor white America and keep other minorities trapped in a docile mindset. This is a threat to my community because if we can’t even acknowledge the history and root of the issues happening around us, how will we be able to stand up to the injustices that are being used to keep us held back in society?
My goal is to encourage others in the Black community to think critically about the correlations between religion and racism in our society. I want to help my generation, and the generations after, challenge these ideas and recognize the harmful effects that come from them. To combat the effects of white supremacy in America, we must first fully understand how they came to be and recognize who is truly accountable for the way minorities in America are treated.
Jayda, 18, attends East Carolina University with plans to study graphic design and marketing.
“I am a member of the Academy of Financial Technology and was the first in my class to complete the program, also earning my Excel specialist certification,” Jayda writes. “I was an active member of the Black Student Union at my school and had been the social manager for other clubs including BSU, DECA and the Dazzling Bulls Dance Team. I also run my own press-on nail business, in which I vendor at events and collect cans for my canned food drive.”
