New Books in History Diane T. Feldman, "Borrowed Land, Stolen Labor, and the Holy Spirit: The Struggle for Power and Equality in Holmes County, Mississippi" (UP of Mississippi, 2025)
Nov 6, 2025
Diane T. Feldman, a historian and author specializing in Mississippi history and civil rights, dives deep into the struggle for power and equality in Holmes County. She uncovers the roots of local African American leadership during the civil rights movement and discusses the significance of cooperative landownership and the Church of God in Christ. Feldman highlights the fight for voting rights, the impact of the Great Depression, and ongoing local initiatives to revitalize food production. Her insights offer a compelling look at a community's resilience and activism.
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Landownership Fueled Grassroots Power
- Holmes County's Black farmers trace their strength to long-term landownership and cooperative institutions.
- That economic independence made them pivotal grassroots leaders in the Delta civil rights organizing.
Cooperation Grew Under Jim Crow
- Jim Crow produced 'neo-slavery' conditions but also stimulated cooperative self-help and community institutions.
- Black Mississippians organized churches, schools, and economic cooperatives decades before the 1960s movement.
Pentecostal Theology Shaped Activism
- The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) emerged from holiness/Pentecostal revivals and promoted egalitarian sanctification.
- COGIC's theology and networks deeply influenced Delta civil rights leaders and Black culture, including blues music.
