“Rollin’ on the River”: what economic and political factors caused restoration of service for the Gee’s Bend public ferry?

Paul Gentle,Terri R. Jett

doi:10.21511/gg.02(1).2018.06

Abstract

This article presents a case study on the efforts to reestablish ferry service for an isolated island-type community in Wilcox County, Alabama, known as Gee’s Bend or by the formal name of Boykin. Gee’s Bend, a community of inhabitants who can trace their ancestry to slaves on the antebellum plantation there, depended on the ferry to provide access to the county seat of Camden, the center for social and economic activity. There was no ferry between 1962 and 2006. For forty-four years the ferry did not operate, having had its’ cable deliberately cut so that Gee’s Bend residents could not get to Camden to register to vote. It was an attempt to lessen the political power of the African-Americans in the area. This article explains the key economic and political factors that resulted in restoration of service for the Gee’s Bend ferry.

Highlights

There have been difficulties associated with community development efforts in the Black Belt
Il Rights Movement emancipation involved the placement of African Americans in key Wilcox The primary way for Gee’s Bend residents to concounty positions, such as sheriff, tax assessor, and nect to the Camden community was by way of county commissioners, affecting economic change the old ferry, that they regularly used as a means has been challenging against a White minority of transportation to Camden, the county seat of with predominant land-holdings in the county
Hollis Curl stated that it was time this was achieved as evidenced by the in- the Gee’s Bend ferry was re-installed for four imcrease in African American political leaders, at portant reasons: economic development, quality the county level, economic empowerment has of life, betsometimes been slow in coming

Summary

INTRODUCTION

There have been difficulties associated with community development efforts in the Black Belt. The point of this case study is not about how this project served to instantaneously change hearts and minds and subsequently diminish racism. It is about moving forward through a focus of addressing economic development conditions that serve the betterment of all and in spite of whatever feelings and values remain from past racial discord. This article examines these issues in light of a case study. The reader should keep in mind that when this article states that a racial group thought and acted in a particular way, we mean that the great preponderance of a racial group tended to behave and think a certain way, not every single solitary individual of that racial group in Wilcox County

THEORETICAL BASIS

Wilcox county and the Black Belt Perry

Looking back and looking

Public finance issues

CONCLUSION