The Black Belt of Alabama, named for its dark, rich soils, contains counties in the central part of the state. Alabama’s Black Belt is part of a larger crescent-shaped area known as the Southern Black Belt, which extends from Maryland to Texas. During the twentieth century, Alabama’s Black Belt became a mainstage for the civil rights movement in the South including the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Selma to Montgomery March. Today several organizations preserve Black Belt culture by organizing annual festivals celebrating Black Belt heritage, crafts, and cuisine.
Photos courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Alamy, Auburn University, Getty Images