Moratorium's end deepens ongoing eviction crisis in the South's Black communities

Even before the pandemic, evictions disproportionately hurt Black people living in the South. Now, with the moratorium lifted, Black communities will be hit even harder. Meanwhile, Southern states have been slow to distribute federal aid aimed at avoiding evictions. (9/3/2021)

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Georgia shows the promise of automatic voter registration

Automatic voter registration has dramatically expanded the electorate in states including Georgia, but Republican lawmakers have targeted the policy for elimination. (9/1/2021)

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Lawsuit targets HCA's hospital monopoly in Western North Carolina

The same North Carolina law firm that successfully took on Smithfield Foods' hog farm pollution is now representing a group of plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against Tennessee-based hospital company HCA, owner of Asheville's Mission Health System. The suit — which claims the company has monopolized the regional health care market in a way that's hurting patients and caregivers — comes amid heightened scrutiny of health care monopolies. (9/1/2021)

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A historic voting rights victory for North Carolinians on probation or parole

Voting rights advocates in North Carolina celebrated last week's historic state court ruling that automatically restored voting rights for some 56,000 people with felony convictions who have been released from prison but are still on probation or parole, but this week a higher court put the ruling on hold while Republican legislative leaders appeal. (9/3/2021)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Lies across the South

Our monuments, markers, and other historical sites shape how we remember our past — with implications for the present. Writing for Southern Exposure magazine in 2000, sociologist and people's historian James Loewen journeyed through the South's memorial landscape and found that, all too often, it got the story wrong. Loewen died this month at age 79. (8/26/2021)

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Out-of-state abortion providers brace for an influx of Texas patients

A Texas law passed in May that bans abortions starting at six weeks of pregnancy went into effect this week after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. Abortion providers in neighboring states are preparing for an onslaught of patients from Texas.

Apply now for the Julian Bond Fellowship!

Are you an early-career journalist or researcher who cares about justice and democracy in the South?

The Institute for Southern Studies, publisher of Facing South, is accepting applications for the Julian Bond Fellowship Program.

The Julian Bond Fellowship, named in honor of the civil rights legend and co-founder of the Institute, aims to promote new voices in Southern media and support early-career, public interest journalists and researchers in the South.

The Fellowship is a nine-month, full-time position. Fellows are provided a $5,000 monthly stipend and additional resources for training, conferences and research.

Journalists and researchers of color are strongly encouraged to apply, as are others who believe their presence would contribute substantially to diversifying the media and public scholar landscape in the South. Candidates must have at least two to three years of experience writing for a public audience, and a demonstrated commitment to promoting justice, equality and democracy in the South.

The application deadline is Monday, Sept. 20, 2021, at 5 p.m. Visit here for more information or to submit an application. Questions? Email us at [email protected].

Remembering West Virginia's Battle of Blair Mountain at 100

This Labor Day weekend, people will gather in West Virginia to mark the centennial of the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest labor uprising in U.S. history. We look at what led to the bloody battle — when 10,000 Black, white, and immigrant coal miners joined together to fight for union rights against coal companies allied with corrupt law enforcement — and how it's being commemorated.