Richard Orton's family came from Nacogdoches, but he spent most of his childhood in Midland. He went to UNT and then moved to Austin, where he worked at one of the first rape crisis centers in the nation. He also founded an organization to help and educate others about child sexual abuse. Orton is a photographer, which is how he became involved with the Upshaw family, who are the descendants of freed slaves who founded County Line, a community near Nacogdoches. Mr. Orton began a photograph project documenting the community, which is now a book. Mr. Orton described his career helping to found rape crisis centers, working with child sexual abuse victims, and his connections to the County Line community, founded by freed slaves.

Mrs. Stokes was born and raised in Nacogdoches. She is the daughter of Arthur Weaver, the founder of the NAACP in Nacogdoches. She then became a teacher in Washington DC and St. Louis. She returned to Nacogdoches in the late 1970s, where she worked at Head Start. Retired now, she is active in civic organizations, particularly the annual Juneteenth celebration. In her interview, Mrs. Stokes describes her childhood in Nacogdoches, the difficulties of segregation, her father's activism, and the community activism she's been involved in in Nacogdoches since her return in the 1970s.

Ms. Ali was born in Beford, Texas. She was raised in her family's community, County Line, outside of Nacogdoches. Ms. Ali went to Cushing High School, UT-Austin, and is currently a librarian at the Nacogdoches Public Library. She is also a hip-hop artist. In her interview, Ms. Ali described the rich history of her family's community, dating back to newly freed slaves moving in from Tennessee. She relates stories of racism and violence as well as community building and endurance. Her personal account describes racism at Cushing schools in the 2000s and her efforts to build a sustainable homestead for herself in County Line.