Facing South published more than 70 investigations, interviews, and other stories this year on a wide range of key issues, plus a collection of still-relevant historical pieces from the new Southern Exposure Digital Archives. Below are a dozen of our top stories from 2023. Criminalizing voters in Southern states Benjamin Barber, coordinator of the Institute for Southern Studies Democracy Program, examined laws passed by GOP state lawmakers to further criminalize minor voting infractions and create new law enforcement units to prosecute election-related crimes — harsh penalties that will disproportionately impact communities of color. (January 2023) Read More > A Blueprint for a stronger democracy  In February, the Institute joined North Carolina advocates to release "Blueprint for a Stronger Democracy," a report offering policy recommendations for creating a more inclusive and sustainable government. Facing South later reported on how key proposals in the report were taken up by state lawmakers and helped guide voting legislation. (February and March 2023) Read more here and here > Taking on the 'forever chemical' threat in North Carolina school water supplies University of North Carolina senior Alasdair McNinch's investigation was the first in-depth look at PFAS pollution and the hazard it poses to North Carolina schools. McNinch's pioneering story won second place in the national Hearst Journalism Award Program for student reporters. (March 2023) Read More > An archive in a time of crisis  Olivia Paschal, editor of the Southern Exposure Digital Archives, writes that the collection of writings from the Institute's award-winning journal that published from 1973 to 2011 is important not just because of what it tells us about our past, but the tools it provides for our present and future. (March 2023) Read More > 'Throwing the heroes away': As Arkansas Tyson plant closes, workers strike over treatment Rachell Sanchez-Smith traveled to the picket line in Van Buren, Arkansas to report on workers striking for fair severance after Tyson announced their plant’s closure — one of several Tyson closures nationwide. The piece, reported with Olivia Paschal, was published in partnership with Labor Notes, and an audio version ran on Ozarks at Large, the news magazine produced by NPR affiliate KUAF. (April 2023) Read More > Who gets to rest in peace? The complications of repatriating remains for Southeastern tribes  The Institute's Julian Bond Fellow Maydha Devarajan reported on the fight to return Native American burial remains held by non-Indigenous institutions throughout the South — including the Tennessee Valley Authority. (April 2023) Read More > 'My hope is built': A father-son talk with Rev. William Barber, II To mark the 10th anniversary of the Moral Monday Movement's launch, the Institute's Benjamin Barber spoke with Rev. William Barber, II, his father, about the movement's historic roots and accomplishments, and what keeps him hopeful about progressive change in the South. (April 2023) Read More > 'We shouldn't be afraid to fight': New Orleans Starbucks workers on how organizing changed their minds on unions  As Starbucks employees across the country organized for fair pay and dignity, reporter Jason Kerzinski took Facing South readers inside a store in New Orleans to hear how workers' views of labor were transformed through their successful union drive. (May 2023) Read More > Will companies backing anti-trans lawmakers face backlash in North Carolina? Maydha Devarajan looked at the biggest donors to lawmakers who pushed anti-trans legislation in North Carolina — and found many groups and companies that claim to be champions of LGBTQ equality. (June 2023) Read More > Arkansas advocates voice concern as state weakens child labor protections  As companies in Arkansas and across the South came under investigation for child labor violations, Institute intern Ashley Quincin looked into the history and potential impacts of a new Arkansas law that many advocates fear will make child labor harder to detect, and the role of of a Florida corporate-backed think tank in weakening child labor law protections across the country. (July 2023) Read More > 'The stakes are incredibly high': An interview with Devin Franklin on RICO charges against 'Cop City' activists After Georgia attorney general Chris Carr indicted more than 60 activists on racketeering charges related to the 'Cop City' police training center, Institute executive director Chris Kromm spoke to a leading attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights about the unusual charges and their implications for the right to protest. (September 2023) Read More > Language access at the ballot box lags in a diversifying South  Despite the South's rapid demographic changes, Maydha Devarajan found that few voting jurisdictions in the South are compelled to provide language access and multilingual voting materials under federal law, creating potential voting barriers for growing communities of new Southerners. (September 2023) Read More > | 
