Southern Baptists Re-elect its First Black President

The Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday re-elected Rev. Fred Luter Jr., the historically racist denomination’s

forwp-incontent-custom-banner ampforwp-incontent-ad1"> first black president, at its annual meeting in Houston, the Associated Press reports.

Luter was first elected in 2012. The organization voted to renounce its racist roots in 1995. It apologized for defending slavery, racial segregation and ideas of white supremacy.

The Southern Baptist Convention says it has nearly 16 million members, but has experienced membership declines for the last six years.