The Black Belt
The Black Belt is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama. The term originally referred to the region's rich, black topsoil. The term took on an additional meaning in the 19th century, when the region was developed for cotton plantation agriculture, in which the workers were enslaved African Americans. After the American Civil War, many freedmen stayed in the area as sharecroppers and tenant farmers, continuing to comprise a majority of the population in many of these counties.
Most of the early pioneers of Choctaw County were farmers from North and South Carolina. The towns in Choctaw County are: Bulter [SCi works with board of education], Gilbertown [SCi partnered with local church for “Rock the Block VBS], Lisman [SCi feeding families], Needham [SCi feeding families], Pennington [SCi feeding families], Silas [SCi feeding families], and Toxey [SCi feeding families].