BRICK by BRICK: Building Black History in Maury County

Brick by Brick: Building Black History in Maury County guides readers through uncovering, honoring, and celebrating the rich contributions of Black men and women in Maury County, Tennessee. This book reveals the rich history of Black communities that have built and shaped the area, from the resilience of enslaved ancestors to present-day leaders seeking equity and justice. Their legacies have been stitched into the very fabric around which Maury County's growth has occurred, and the impact has been lasting in a manner that stretches far beyond the region.

Using the stories of exemplary individuals from Columbia, Spring Hill, Mt. Pleasant, and nearby communities, Brick by Brick highlights how Black residents faced adversity with dignity, courage, and perseverance. Through education, business, and community empowerment, their work rewrote local narratives that furthered wider movements for freedom, justice, and equality across the Southern United States.

The book does not read like a list of historical facts and dates; rather, it attempts to extract some of the personal tales of people who built systems, businesses, churches, and cultural legacies brick by brick, often in the face of systemic oppression. Dedicated, they laid the groundwork for future generations, inspiring equity work in our time.

A living legacy that is sometimes overlooked, this book honors the implacable relevance of Black history in Maury, inviting its chronicle as a contextual partner for understanding and demonstrating constructive models of persistence and evolution to be studied and celebrated today and onward. Brick by Brick is an invitation to recognize the spirit of the community and to participate in the preservation and transmission of these essential stories for future generations.