NEW ORLEANS

A crowdfunding drive to help rebuild three African-American churches gutted by arsons in Louisiana has surpassed its original $1.8 million goal.

A spokeswoman for GoFundMe stated in an email on April 18 that people in all 50 states and around the world have made more than 35,000 donations totaling more than $1.97 million.

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.

Fundraising surged after the Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris on April 15 as social media commenters urged people not to forget the plight of the black churches.

A 21-year-old white man, Holden Matthews, the son of a St. Landry Parish sheriff’s deputy, was arrested in connection with the fires.