Parable of the Sewers

For generations, the Black women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, have used quilts to chronicle the history of their community.

(L to R): Claudia Pettway Charley, Francesca Charley, LaKarian Pettway, Stella Mae Pettway, and Sharon Williams (Courtesy of Adidas.)

In the heart of Wilcox County, nestled in the Black Belt of west Alabama, lies the unassuming town of Boykin — a name imposed on this settlement by the federal government in 1949. But while Boykin — more commonly known amo…