In 1927, after months of heavy rains, the Mississippi River could no longer be detained by the levees. Several levees collapsed causing the Great Mississippi Flood. Six states and numerous cities and towns were affected by the disaster. For the community of Greenville, Mississippi, the evacuation of its black residents was a divisive issue. As it would turn out, the deceit and greed of the planters would ultimately determine the fate of the black populace.

In 1963, Birmingham was a hotbed of racial tension; consequently, when Martin Luther King decided to challenge segregation it became an intense battle. Out of this protest came King’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and the appalling images of dog bitten and fire hosed teenage protestors. Today, the remembrance of the struggle in Birmingham is a powerful reminder of the kind of violence that civil rights activists often faced.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints & Photos Division, NYWT&S Collection