How black gatekeepers keep Mississippi down

How black gatekeepers keep Mississippi down

Rolling Fork was never a prosperous place. Yet squeezed between the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers, in the heart of the black-soiled Delta, it boasted a rich past. The birthplace of blues icon Muddy Waters, and of the teddy bear, the town was proud and tidy. But then, in 2023, a tornado laid waste to Rolling Fork’s heart. Two years and $40 million later, the city hall and high school are both still closed. The town’s lone laundromat is too. And th…