Clean Water for North Carolina celebrates the achievements and efforts of communities that continue the fight for justice, equality, and healthy, safe environments to call home. In North Carolina, Black communities have a long history of resilience and activism. The following descriptions, while not comprehensive, offer a brief look into this history and the people, places, and groups that have made a difference.

Princeville, NC was incorporated in 1885 and stands as the oldest town incorporated by Black Americans in the United States, though its place as a community predates that. It was originally known as Freedom Hill and became home to many recently freed Black Americans who struggled in the early stages of segregation and Jim Crow to find a place to live without facing violence in 1865. Sitting on the Tar River south of Tarboro, the land the community had been restricted to was swampy, and residents faced major flooding since its founding. Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016 hit the community hard, and with the support of many organizations and departments, the Princeville Task Force was created to rebuild the town to be more resistant to flooding while continuing to honor its history.