Divided Grace: A River Between Churches begins with a dramatic recounting of a devastating flood in 1927 that wiped out homes and churches when the Mississippi River broke the levees, revealing how deep-seated prejudicial attitudes were formed in communities back then. There were strict forms of separation between races, driven on both sides of the imaginary divide between Black and White communities by fear.

White people were afraid of what the newly freed slaves would take from them, and the members of the Black community didn’t cross the line for fear of retaliation. Violence, especially focused on Black folks, happened all too often, and those rules about separation were kept firmly in place on both sides of the river.