Mississippi
The South needs a new Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement was a product of necessity. The American system could no longer withstand its own flaws, particularly in the South. In 2026, we've come to the same impasse.
Politics
Alabama
You need to hear this about gerrymandering and the Voting Rights Act
I stopped by one of my favorite shows, WUNC's "Due South" in North Carolina, to talk about the story, give it some context, and (hopefully) suggest there's a light at the end of the tunnel.
Virginia
What the Virginia vote says about Democrats in 2026
The Democrats are practicing “maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.” That could be especially important in the South.
North Carolina
On gerrymandering, North Carolina and Virginia are two sides of the same coin
For Democrats and Republicans, supporting gerrymandering or opposing it is a question of which side of the North Carolina-Virginia state line you’re on.
North Carolina
Audio: The Living South conversation with NC Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls
Listen to The Living South's full conversation with NC Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls.
North Carolina
Anita Earls against the world
The NC Supreme Court justice could be on the shortlist for the US Supreme Court someday. But first, she faces a right-wing smear campaign and a fight with cancer.
South Carolina
Jesse Jackson—slandered, libeled, redeemed
The white South made a villain of a native son, but the region never had a better champion for it on the big stage than Jesse Jackson.
Culture
What we're getting wrong about that Bad Bunny halftime show
When politicians try to grasp on to an artist, the good ones always slip through their fingers. Bad Bunny is one of the good ones.
Immigration
Why the ICE killings in Minneapolis could change everything
There can be no silver lining to the ICE killings. But there can be change when brave people document it, demand action, and never let it go.
Politics
Trump is getting richer. The Southerners who voted for him are getting poorer.
For many of the people who voted for him in 2024, Trump has made their lives tangibly harder and he's getting richer by the minute.
Civil Rights
The Living South's top 5 of 2025
In the first year of The Living South, I did my best to tell the stories that captured this complicated place. In year two, I want to go bigger and deeper.
Civil Rights
Trump drops MLK Day celebration at National Parks
Make no mistake, racists cheer decisions like the Trump administration's MLK Day change at the National Park Service.