What is the Alabama Black Belt?
The Black Belt region of Alabama and the rivers that flow through it represent one of North America's great centers of biological and cultural diversity. The region embraces the centers of forest and aquatic biodiversity in the United States, and its famously rich soils and landscapes have had a profound impact on the culture, history, and politics of this country.
Alabama Black Belt's boundary has been defined by as many as 24 counties; however, the Alabama Black Belt Heritage Task Force, established in 2006, felt self-identification on the part of the citizens was important to justifying the Black Belt's boundaries, thus empowering the region's citizens to identify focal points of connection within the region.
The Alabama National Black Belt Heritage Area's boundary includes 19 self-identified counties: Pickens, Greene, Sumter, Choctaw, Washington, Clarke, Marengo, Hale, Bibb, Perry, Dallas, Wilcox, Monroe, Conecuh, Butler, Lowndes, Montgomery, Macon, and Bullock.