COVID-19 pounded Arkansas poultry workers as government and industry looked on

Emails obtained by Facing South reveal that as workers and community advocates begged for the closure of poultry plants with outbreaks, government and company officials worked closely to present a united front — and keep them open.  (8/20/2020)

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Students learning English face extra hurdles in remote classes

For many students, remote learning in the midst of a pandemic is an uphill climb. For those learning English as a second language, the climb can be even steeper. It's a concern across the South, where a number of states have large public school enrollments of English language learners. (8/26/2020)

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VOICES: Saving our burning house will take more than voting

As a voting rights activist in Georgia, I understand the sacred importance of the hard-won ballot. But as a young Black man in America, I recognize that elections alone cannot save Black lives. (8/24/2020)

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Hurricanes as human rights disasters

This week Hurricane Laura smashed into the Gulf Coast near the Texas-Louisiana border as one of the strongest storms ever to make landfall in the United States, and it's still early in what's expected to be an unusually active hurricane season. It's a good time to revisit Publisher Chris Kromm's 2015 Facing South essay about hurricanes and human rights. (8/27/2015)

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Election Day could mean big changes for Southern high courts

Southern states are holding judicial elections this year that will shape the outcome of critical cases involving voting rights and criminal justice. The elections could also bring unprecedented diversity to courts in some states.

Saving the U.S. Postal Service is a civil rights issue

Since the Civil War, the post office has provided important economic opportunity for African Americans and played a critical role in advancing equal rights in the South. Now it's under threat from Postmaster Louis DeJoy, whose own company — a postal service contractor — has been sued over racial discrimination and other maltreatment of workers.