First Street Bridge, The Sunflower River, Clarksdale, Mississippi.

What is: The First Street Bridge, The Sunflower River, Clarksdale, Mississippi.

What was: In the 19^th and 20^th century the river was used by Black churchgoers for baptisms.

On Sept 19, 1919, L.B.Read, a returning Black Army veteran from the American Expeditionary Forces, was hanged here, for allegedly dating a white woman.  This followed “The Red Summer” of 1919, when thousands of Black people were beaten and murdered throughout the United States.  Black Veterans had just returned from World War I and begun organizing for equal rights after serving their country overseas.  #scarredplacesphotoseries #whatisleadsustowhatwas #Clarksdale #Mississippi #Baptisms #RedSummer #Lynchings #AfricanAmericanhistory #Knowourhistory #Blackveterans