Weaving national narratives from stories of the daily lives and familiar places of local residents, this book chronicles the slow struggle for black freedom through the history of Clarksdale, Mississippi. It paints a full picture of the town over fifty years, recognizing the accomplishments of its diverse African American community and strong National Association for the Advancement of Colored People branch, and examining the extreme brutality of entrenched power there. The Clarksdale story defies triumphant narratives of dramatic change, and presents instead a layered, contentious, untidy, an ... More

Weaving national narratives from stories of the daily lives and familiar places of local residents, this book chronicles the slow struggle for black freedom through the history of Clarksdale, Mississippi. It paints a full picture of the town over fifty years, recognizing the accomplishments of its diverse African American community and strong National Association for the Advancement of Colored People branch, and examining the extreme brutality of entrenched power there. The Clarksdale story defies triumphant narratives of dramatic change, and presents instead a layered, contentious, untidy, and often disappointingly unresolved civil rights movement. Following the black freedom struggle in Clarksdale from World War II through the first decade of the twenty-first century allows the author to tell multiple, interwoven stories about the town's people, their choices, and the extent of political change. She shows how members of civil rights organizations—especially local leaders Vera Pigee and Aaron Henry—worked to challenge Jim Crow through fights against inequality, police brutality, segregation, and, later, economic injustice. With Clarksdale still at a crossroads today, the author explores how to evaluate success when poverty and inequality persist.