Through the Equitable Resilience Program with EPA, SMM is working with 15 communities across the south and southwest. Clarksdale, Mississippi is a small city located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, a region renowned for its fertile soil and rich cultural heritage. The city's establishment is rooted in the cotton plantation economy, which relied on the labor of enslaved Africans and, following emancipation, a system of sharecropping. The repercussions of this historical context continue to influence race relations and socioeconomic dynamics within the city today. Clarksdale, however, remains a vibrant community with a rich cultural heritage and a strong sense of pride. The city played a significant role in the development of blues music, with many legendary musicians, like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Sam Cooke, having roots in the area.

In recent years, Clarksdale has made strides in revitalizing its downtown area. These efforts, however, have done little to address the increasingly severe impacts of climate change. The city has been affected by major flooding from increasingly intense rain events, as well as extreme heat, with the heat index rising as high as 121°F in the late summer months. In the winter, the region has also experienced record low temperatures and biting wind during storms causing power outages.

Despite these obstacles, the community remains committed to building a brighter future. The community-based organization, Coahoma Collective, has partnered with the city to develop a vision for building community resilience through various projects that incorporate climate mitigation strategies: upgrades to the Sunflower River Walk, a new community park in the Oakhurst neighborhood and improvements to several other streetscapes that prioritize pedestrian and cyclist safety. All of these projects are grounded in a collective desire for connection and access: connecting people living on different sides of the river; connecting locals and tourists to one another and to the city’s rich history; and providing everyone greater access to nature along the Sunflower River.