Change
comes slowly to Macon Ridge, Louisiana, a rural area spread out
over 150 square miles in the northeast corner of the state. The
region is home to five of Louisiana’s poorest counties—or “parishes,” as
they’re known locally, a term that dates back to the days when
Louisiana was still a French Catholic colony. But the slow pace
of change in Macon Ridge is evident in more than just its nomenclature:
Cotton, corn, and lumber are still the dominant industries in the
