20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest The American Experience
Motherland of Civil Rights

I took this picture of the Elaine Legacy Center in Elaine, Arkansas, a town in Arkansas delta. Elaine was once home to a prosperous Black community, but during the Red Summer of 1919, one of the worst racial massacres against Black Americans in the history of the U.S. occurred there. The Elaine Legacy Center is dedicated to preserving the oral histories of the Massacre through the descendants, many of who are still living there. Elaine has rebranded itself as the "Motherland of Civil Rights." Just after this sign was hung on the building, a mysterious fire was set, burning part of the Legacy Center building.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Elaine, Arkansas, United States of America
Camera: NIKON D5300
Copyright: © Andrea Gluckman