Welcome to Bridge The Gulf Project

Editor’s note: Many of the women interviewed for this story requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. They said they are worried about what would happen to their loved ones on the inside for their speaking out or revealing their correspondence.

When the graves of former slaves are bulldozed in Mississippi, a native son returns to protect the community they settled – a place now threatened by urban sprawl, hurricanes and an unprecedented manmade disaster.

Helen Frazier, the mother of Jordan Frazier, holds up a Christmas tree ornament memorializing her son in December. Photo credit: Clarissa Sosin

By Daryl Khan and Clarissa Sosin