Long touted in literary and historical works, the Mississippi River remains an iconic presence in the American landscape. Whether referred to as Old Man River or the Big Muddy, the Mississippi River represents imageries ranging from the pastoral and Acadian to turbulent and unpredictable. But these imageries--revealed through the cultural production of artists, writers, poets, musicians, and even filmmakers--did not reflect the experiences of everyone living and working along the river. Missing is a broader discourse of the African American community and the Mississippi River. Through the experiences of African Americans with the Mississippi River, that included narratives of labor (free and enslaved), refuge, floods, and migration, a different history of the river and its environs emerges.