History

February 15, 2013 - With North Carolina flipping back into the Republican column, you could say that the new Solid South begins in Henderson, N.C. and ends in Valdosta, Ga., bracketed by Virginia and Florida.

February 14, 2013 - Once known as the "most aggressively conservative" federal appeals court and the "black hole of capital litigation," the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond has shifted to the center, thanks to six appointments by President Obama.

January 25, 2013 - Two pregnant Southern women played key roles in the legalization of abortion in the United States. A story in the 1977 edition of Southern Exposure detailed their experiences, and we share it in honor of the 40th anniversary of both the magazine and the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision.

January 25, 2013 - At the same time North Carolina is dramatically expanding the number of charter schools operating in the state, new research from Duke University finds that charter schools are much more likely than traditional public schools to be racially unbalanced -- and that can have negative educational consequences for students.

January 24, 2013 - President Obama outlined a decidedly progressive-minded agenda for his second term -- one the South's white oligarchy of business, political, religious and media leaders will fight tooth and nail.

January 18, 2013 - Much of the impetus for the civil rights movement came from students who led marches, took beatings, sang freedom songs, and went to jail. James Orange organized schools in Birmingham, Ala. and recounted his experiences in a 1981 interview in Southern Exposure, which we share in honor of the magazine's 40th anniversary.

January 11, 2013 - The new year promises lots of action on the labor front -- and as always in the South, it comes with heavy baggage from the past.

December 11, 2012 - In addition to hearing challenges to laws banning same-sex marriage, the Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, landmark civil rights legislation that's been increasingly under attack.

December 5, 2012 - U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms died in 2008 without ever disavowing his support for racial segregation, which is why some are protesting a bill to name a post office after him in his hometown of Raleigh, N.C. But there's something apropos about the proposal, as Helms pioneered the use of the postal service to promote his divisive politics.

November 15, 2012 - Three days after an election that saw numerous attempts to suppress the minority vote, the high court agreed to hear Shelby County, Ala.'s challenge to the Voting Rights Act.