Census corrections show how Southern communities benefit from prisons

The Census Bureau has released its first round of corrections for the 2020 population count, and communities in Southern states will benefit thanks to prisoners being added to their populations. Reform advocates say this "prison gerrymandering" distorts democracy and paints a misleading picture of community populations for planning purposes. A growing number of states, including several in the South, are taking action to end it. (2/24/2023)

Read More >

A New Orleans play aims to change the conversation on labor organizing

Goat in the Road Productions of New Orleans recently presented an immersive play about a family of Sicilian grocers deciding whether to make common cause with Black/Creole grocers during the city’s 1892 general strike. They were joined by community partners Step Up Louisiana and the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice to help raise awareness about the history behind the drama. (2/23/2023)

Read More >

Poor People's Campaign, families demand DOJ probe of over 100 West Virginia jail deaths

Activists with the Poor People's Campaign and relatives of some of the 13 inmates who died at West Virginia's Southern Regional Jail last year held a press conference this week to implore the Biden administration to investigate conditions at the notorious lockup, as well as the deaths of more than 100 prisoners in the state during the last 10 years, Common Dreams reports. (2/23/2023)

Read More >

North Carolina advocates offer detailed blueprint to strengthen democracy

In a collaborative report highlighting bipartisan policy proposals for North Carolina to combat current threats to democracy, leading state and national voting rights advocates call for legislative action to ensure that elections are free, fair, accessible, and secure.

RSVP to celebrate Southern Exposure at 50!

Join us on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Southern Exposure, the award-winning journal published from 1973 to 2010 by the Institute for Southern Studies.

"Pages from the Movements for Justice: Southern Exposure at 50" will feature the founders of Southern Exposure discussing the magazine's roots in social change movements and impact on our understanding of the South, as well as writers and historians reflecting on SE's legacy and meaning today.

The Institute will also unveil the new Southern Exposure digital archive, including issues of the magazine covering a range of topics including labor, Southern politics, anti-racist organizing, and more.

The free event at UNC's Wilson Library is a collaboration between the Institute for Southern Studies, UNC's Southern Historical Collection and North Carolina Collection, and the Center for the Study of the American South.

Please RSVP by March 3 if you are interested in attending. Want to help carry on Southern Exposure's legacy today? Make a donation to support the Institute and our 50th anniversary celebration!

Looking for summer interns!

The Institute for Southern Studies, publisher of Facing South, is now accepting applications for paid summer internships. An Institute internship is a great way to gain hands-on writing and research experience on issues related to democracy, justice, and sustainability in the South. Internships are paid and typically last 6-8 weeks. For summer 2023, the Institute will be accepting applications for in-person internships at our offices in Durham, North Carolina. Application deadline is 5 p.m. ET on Friday, March 17. For more information, visit here.

EPA seeks public comment on closing coal ash loophole

The Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comments until March 6 on closing a regulatory loophole that exempts hundreds of polluting coal ash landfills from its oversight. The move is part of a proposed settlement in a lawsuit brought last year by environmental health advocates.