Historically, the educational journey for Blacks has chronicled both struggles and progress, dating back to slavery when Blacks were denied educational rights, and now as many face the consequences of the resegregation of schools. The resegregation of schools perpetuates social and racial inequalities, particularly in southern states like Mississippi, where most Black students attend non-white schools in poverty school districts (Adams & Adams, 2018; Orfield & Ryan, 2024). This study examined the lived experiences of ten civil rights activists from a rural county in Mississippi, who share their experiences fighting for social justice and equity in education during the onset of "Alexander v. Holmes County School Board" to understand how issues of the past continue to have rippling effects in education today. Three major themes emerged from data collection: whiteness as property, fear, and unequal access to resources and businesses. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]