"Greene County, which has a population of 9,900 and is 80 percent black, is a good example. In 1965, only a few black residents were registered to vote. In Lowndes and Wilcox counties that year, no blacks were registered. Some who tried in Lowndes were evicted from their houses by white landlords.

It was that way throughout Alabama's Black Belt in the century following the Civil War and Reconstruction as whites regained control of every aspect of life in the region after Union troops ended their occupation.

During Reconstruction, many blacks were elected to political office. In neighboring Hale County, Jim Greene was elected sheriff in 1866. In Dallas County, Benjamin Turner was elected to Congress."