March 4, 2024 -
This month marks the 59th anniversary of Selma, Alabama's Bloody Sunday. Community organizer and democracy advocate Trey Walk reflects on the life and legacy of civil rights icon John Lewis and the importance of sustaining the fight to expand voting rights across the South.
November 21, 2023 -
This year's off-year elections saw mixed results for Democrats in the South, with progressives scoring victories in Kentucky and Virginia — and staying competitive in Mississippi — while the bulk of races still went to Republicans. What do the results tell us about 2024 and beyond?
November 17, 2023 -
In the 2023 elections, voters across the South faced difficulties including long lines, ballot shortages, and registration issues. Suppressive voting legislation and other structural barriers could exacerbate these issues as the 2024 election cycle swings into motion.
November 16, 2023 -
On a panel at the Southern Exposure 50th anniversary event this spring, Sue Thrasher, Leah Wise, and Bob Hall talked about launching the Institute for Southern Studies and Southern Exposure magazine in the 1970s. Listen to the panel on SLSA’s Working History podcast and read the transcript.
September 27, 2023 -
Republican lawmakers nationwide have introduced 400 anti-voting bills this year, while in Congress, GOP leaders have introduced an omnibus elections bill that would nationalize voter suppression. In response, Democratic lawmakers have reintroduced key federal voting rights legislation to expand voter protections and counter the attacks on the freedom to vote.
September 27, 2023 -
Facing South is republishing a piece from the 1985 Southern Exposure issue, “We Are Here Forever: Indians of the South,” with an introduction by author Forest Hazel, a historian for the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation in North Carolina.
September 27, 2023 -
The South is the fastest-growing region in the country. Several states have seen significant increases in their populations of voting-age residents who speak a language other than English at home. But of the 30 states with jurisdictions that are legally obligated to provide language access and multilingual voting materials under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, only a handful are in the South.