The American South is much more than Spanish moss and plantation politics. In every city, town and rural county across the region, there are people working for a better future, continuing a centuries-long fight for real freedom, equality and opportunity. In every episode of Headlights, we bring you news, interviews and stories of people working for justice and progressive values all across the South. From community organizers to elected officials to artists and writers, business leaders and ...
…
continue reading
The Progressive South And Barberian Productions Podcasts
Synopsis: Whose stories count in the South — and who gets to tell them? This week, we’re talking to Gwen Frisbie-Fulton, a social worker and author in North Carolina who writes about people in the rural and small-town South. She has a lot of insights about the importance of storytelling in Southern culture, and the absence of many voices in officia…
…
continue reading
SYNOPSIS: Well before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. brought his vaccine skepticism to the federal government, many Southern states were already taking steps to weaken immunization mandates. This week, we take a look at recent moves in Florida, Louisiana and Texas to make it easier for parents to opt their children out of vaccines. Florida already leads the…
…
continue reading
1
Bonus Episode: More with Adeem the Artist
53:56
53:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:56
SYNOPSIS: Talking Southern History, Gender Identity and Politics With Adeem the Artist. As promised in our regular episode this week, here is an extended edit of our interview with Adeem the Artist. The critically acclaimed, politically engaged, non-binary singer-songwriter talks about their North Carolina childhood, their growing awareness of thei…
…
continue reading
SYNOPSIS: Bruce Springsteen once sang that “a king ain’t satisfied until he rules everything,” and Republican officials in one-party-rule states across the South are doing their best to prove the point. This week, we look at three examples of conservative attacks on the remaining pockets of liberalism in their states: Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackbur…
…
continue reading
SYNOPSIS: While much of the U.S. has given a green light to cannabis, the South remains mostly hostile to legalization. This week we look at recent moves in three states to restrict hemp-based THC products — and why Virginia still doesn’t have a commercial weed market, even though marijuana is legal. In our conversation, we talk with Ilham Askia, C…
…
continue reading
1
Ep. 5: A "Pragmatic Progressive' in North Carolina
44:26
44:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:26
Conservative legislators in the South have been attacking diversity programs for years, long before President Trump made a national priority of assailing “DEI.” This week, we look at some of this year’s anti-DEI bills in Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas — and why their allegations of anti-white discrimination are mostly bunk. This week’s con…
…
continue reading
When Reconstruction ended in the South in 1876, white political leaders moved swiftly to establish what they called a “redemption” — the re-establishment of white supremacist rule. Now, 60 years after the Civil Rights Act, white conservative political leaders are again moving to roll back advances toward racial and sexual equality. Are we in a seco…
…
continue reading
Immigration sweeps are picking up steam in states across the South, often with the help of state and local agencies. In this week’s roundup, we look at an unprecedented enforcement action in Florida called Operation Tidal Wave, which led to the arrest of more than 1,000 immigrants, along with operations in Tennessee and along the Interstate 10 corr…
…
continue reading
In our second episode, Jesse offers the first Headlights weekly news round-up: a fight over library books in Arkansas, the rocky tenure of Louisiana’s top environmental official, and an attempt to block undocumented children from Tennessee public schools. He then heads out on the road to Richmond, Va., where he talks to community organizer Quinton …
…
continue reading
Welcome to Headlights! In our first episode, Jesse Mayshark — the founder and publisher of The Progressive South — introduces the podcast and project. What do we mean by “progressive”? What do we mean by “South”? And who are we, anyway? Then he takes to the streets of Knoxville, Tennessee, to hear from some of the thousands who came out earlier thi…
…
continue reading
