In a sense, this project is committed to describing local experiences: we want to encourage the people of Fayette County to share the stories, images and creative projects that emerged from the long and arduous movement to guarantee political and economic rights to all residents. To that end, faculty from the University of Memphis are working with faculty and students at Fayette-Ware High School to interview those who lived this history and to collect the memories and materials they choose to share. Though information about the Fayette County movement is available in print and film, we want to provide a venue in which residents can exchange diverse perspectives on this history and reflect on its meaning for the county today. As the site expands, there will be spaces dedicated to discussion of Fayette County's past and present. For now, we encourage viewers to register or contact us if they have stories or pictures that they would like to contribute.

In another sense, though, we believe the stories and discussions gathered here may have meaning far beyond Fayette County. The struggle for justice is not unique to this region, after all, and here, as elsewhere, it highlighted deep divisions within the community while forcing everyone who lived in the area to think about what change might mean for their society and for themselves as individuals. We want to understand how people live and work in a shared locale during periods of social upheaval, or how they negotiate contemporary conflict while planning for a still uncertain future. Today, Fayette County faces new kinds of change, including the impact of growth from nearby Memphis. What does Fayette County's history mean to newer residents--whether those who have moved recently or young people born locally--and how might broader recognition of that past shape the county today? We think the people of Fayette County offer a special opportunity to understand how communities can overcome difficult pasts, an issue that remains urgent in national and global discussion.

These are some questions we've been thinking about, but we still don't know what kinds of stories we'll discover! We look forward to seeing how this project develops and hope that visitors to this website will stay to share their stories.