Benjamin Barber

Researcher/Writer

Benjamin Barber is the democracy program coordinator at the Institute for Southern Studies, a contributing writer for Facing South, and a graduate of the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a bachelor's degree in history from Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina. Benjamin previously interned with the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama and with Facing South, and he served as the historian for the North Carolina NAACP Youth and College Division. His research focuses on voting rights, democracy, and Southern history.

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Articles by Benjamin Barber

As young voter participation has grown, so have Southern states' efforts to curb it

By Benjamin Barber

February 28, 2020 - With experts predicting record turnout of young voters this year, states across the country — and especially in the South — continue to put up roadblocks to participation.

Virginia shows challenge of ending right-to-work in the anti-union South

By Benjamin Barber

February 14, 2020 - Now under Democratic control, Virginia's legislature is rushing to pass progressive laws. But the recent failure to repeal a state law that undermines organized labor shows what such policies are up against in Southern states. Meanwhile, Tennessee's GOP-controlled legislature wants to enshrine anti-unionism in the state constitution.

Parchman prison crisis exposes years of neglect in Mississippi

By Benjamin Barber

January 30, 2020 - Decades of crowding, understaffing, poor medical care, and intolerable living conditions have reached a tipping point in Mississippi as incarcerated men at Parchman and prison reform advocates cry out for action during a grievous humanitarian crisis.