Defend democracy in the South.

Makaelah Walters

Julian Bond Fellow

Makaelah is the 2022 Julian Bond Fellow. She previously worked as a reporter for the Watauga Democrat and interned as an editorial assistant for the nonprofit advocacy group Appalachian Voices.

Email Makaelah

Articles by Makaelah

Democratizing Mississippi's electric cooperatives

By Makaelah Walters

April 8, 2022 - Facing South talked with three organizers in the nation’s poorest state who are part of a movement to bring greater democracy to rural electric cooperatives. Founded during the New Deal to power communities the big private utilities refused to serve, co-ops today stand accused of a lack of inclusivity and transparency, which organizers are working to change.

Commemorating Bloody Sunday at a crucial moment for civil rights

By Makaelah Walters

March 11, 2022 - Thousands of people gathered recently in Alabama for the 57th anniversary of the historic Selma to Montgomery March for voting rights, which was met with police violence as peaceful demonstrators tried to cross a bridge named for a Klan leader. This year’s event took place as state legislatures across the South are passing bills to limit voting and protesting.