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. 21 No. 3 - Fall 1993
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Magazine cover that reads "Poverty Inc: Why the poor pay more—and who really profits" with a pawn shop full of neon signs reading "instant cash" etc in the background

Poverty, Inc.

  • From the Editor

    Eric Bates

    2

  • Roundup

    3

  • Followup

    9

  • The Fight to Switch

    Cancer hospitals investing in tobacco stocks? Health activists are pushing public institutions to divest. By Jay Root

    10

  • The Poverty Industry

    From pawn shops to used-car lots, big corporations are making billions of dollars by targeting the poor for profit. By Mike Hudson

    16

  • "The Perfect Job for You"

    Trade schools are driving students deeper into debt—and mainstream banks are profiting from the scams. By Barry Yeoman

    28

  • Reforming High Finance

    Consumers across the region are organizing to stop predatory lending and clean up the financial system. By Mike Hudson and Adam Feuerstein

    33

  • Lending Support

    Grassroots alliances and homegrown credit alternatives are putting money back into local communities.

    37

  • Voices: The Freedom Movement Lives On

    By Isaiah Madison

    43

  • Fiction: Stick Woman

    By William Pleasant

    46

  • Cultures in Conflict

    Sea Island communities are fighting resort "plantations" that threaten the land and heritage of the South Carolina coast. By Ron Nixon

    52

  • Junebug: Mama Dolly's Tale

    By Junebug Jabbo Jones

    57

  • Blueprint: Repealing the Death Penalty

    By Leigh Morgan

    59

  • Reviews: Appalachian Hopes

    By Rachel Tompkins

    61

  • Resources

    63

  • Still the South: College Football

    By Ron Morris

    64
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