Introducing 'Today in Southern History'

Today, how the first Southern president since secession brought America into the Great War, and remade the federal government in the South's image.

AUDIO: America needs firefighters. This public school teacher has a plan to make more of them.

A public school teacher in Tennessee has created a one-of-a-kind program giving high schoolers hands-on training in prescribed preventing and fighting wildfires.

This high school teacher's training wildfire fighters. There's nothing else like his class in America.

America is in desperate need of firefighters right now. So a public school teacher in Tennessee has created a one-of-a-kind program giving high schoolers hands-on training.

AUDIO: NC's Anderson Clayton is America's youngest political party leader. She might be its fieriest too.

I talked to Anderson Clayton, a 27-year-old wunderkind from Roxboro, North Carolina, about staying positive in hard times, internet trolls, and her heroes.

Liberals think Democrats aren't pushing back hard enough. Is NC's Anderson Clayton the answer?

There is a line of thought that Democrats don't have guts. North Carolina's fiery liberal leader wants to change all that.

Share "The Living South" with your friends

The Living South is growing the old-fashioned way, with people telling people they like it.

AUDIO: Filmmaker Chris Haley, nephew of legendary journalist Alex Haley, on preserving Black history

Chris Haley, nephew of the famous journalist Alex Haley, talked to The Living South about continuing his uncle's work preserving Black history.

Alex Haley changed Black America with "Roots." Now his nephew digs deeper.

The Pulitzer-winning author and journalist Alex Haley was "woke" before there was such a thing. Today, his nephew, Chris, continues his work preserving the Black family tree.

AUDIO: This SC pitmaster wants to get BBQ the respect it deserves, finally

For the written version of this story, click here. Since he opened City Limits BBQ in West Columbia, S.C., in 2016, Robbie Robinson has become one of just two barbecue pitmasters to make the semifinals twice for best chef in the James Beard Awards, which, for chefs, is like

This South Carolina pitmaster wants to get barbecue the respect it deserves, finally

In West Columbia, South Carolina, about four miles from where the Saluda and Broad rivers become the Congaree, at the bottom of a cracked and uneven driveway, in a plain white building flying South Carolina's blue-and-white palmetto flag, lies one of the best restaurants in America.

AUDIO: Alabama's Rodney Smith Jr. and his never-ending mission to spread kindness with free lawn work

Hear my conversation with Rodney Smith Jr., an Alabama man who's toured the U.S. 19 times mowing lawns for vulnerable people.

This Alabama man has toured the U.S. 19 times mowing lawns for vulnerable people

Rodney Smith Jr., an immigrant from Bermuda, was searching for himself. He found it by helping an elderly Alabama man who was struggling to mow his lawn. This is Rodney's story.