Southern Exposure was an award-winning print journal published by the Institute for Southern Studies, publisher of Facing South, from 1973 until 2011. Southern Exposure earned a national reputation for its writing on a broad range of political and cultural issues in the South, with a special emphasis on investigative journalism and oral history.

On the 50th anniversary of Southern Exposure’s birth, Facing South and the Institute will be publishing a full digital archive of the journal over the course of the year. The initial installment of the archives available in March 2023 includes issues from the magazine’s launch in 1973 through 1981.

Vol. 19 No. 4 - Winter 1991
< Previous / Next >

Magazine cover with photo of older Black woman, text reads "Government That Works"

Government That Works

  • Dateline: The South

    Compiled by Katherine Orr

    2

  • Southern News Roundup

    4

  • Keys to the City

    How black residents of Keysville, Georgia created an entire municipal government to rebuild their town. By Fredrick D. Robinson.

    8

  • Class Action

    A small-town school board in Arkansas has begun reversing the legacy of racial segregation. By Gordon Young.

    14

  • Waste Busters

    "Envirocops" are making life tough for Florida polluters. By Greg Williams.

    18

  • Sprawl No More

    A new law gives Florida citizens a voice in shaping their state. By Anne O'Neil Nelson.

    21

  • Banking on Land

    The city of Louisville sells abandoned property to build affordable housing—for only $1. By Robin Epstein.

    22

  • Chipping in for Kids

    An innovative program blends medical care and social work to help poor families in Virginia grow up healthy. By Mike Hudson

    25

  • "Gotta Be Bold"

    For Mississippi doctor Aaron Shirley, health care means everything from contraception to clean water. Interview by Delia Smith.

    28

  • Art for Hampton's Sake

    A Virginia tailback and an Englishman are reviving the cultural life of the nation's oldest English-speaking city. By Barry Yeoman.

    30

  • Making Government Work

    Nine models of efffective public programs in the South. By Betty Meeler.

    35

  • Fiction: Rose Looney

    By Connie May Fowler

    36

  • Southern Voices: Duke Out

    By Barry Jean Ancelet

    40

  • To Protect and Profit

    Florida police are cashing in on an anti-drug dealer law—but innocent citizens are paying the price. By Mike Billington, Berta Delgado, and Tom Lassiter.

    42

  • The Forgotten River

    Proctor & Gamble is killing the Fenholloway, the only "industrial river" in Florida. By Julie Hauserman.

    46

  • The Nuclear Forest

    The nuclear lab closed two decades ago, but Georgia hunters and hikers are still exposed to radiation. By Karen Kirkpatrick.

    50

  • "Somebody We Can Get"

    Ken Schell was knifed 27 times and left for dead—because he's gay. By Diane Suchetka.

    54

  • Out of the Madness

    Steeled by a tough childhood, a young man from the Dallas projects confronts his life. By Jerome Ladd.

    58

  • Still the South: Mobile Homes

    By Leila Finn and Mary Lee Kerr

    64
Full PDF