Unions made slight gains in the South last year, mirroring national trends. But the share of Southern workers in unions is still less than half of the union density found in the rest of the country.
My new analysis at southernstudies.bksy.social: www.facingsouth.org/2026/04/unio...
Support fearless reporting and a powerful voice for change in the South — donate to our spring fundraiser today!
www.facingsouth.org/defend-democ...
It's been 18 months since Hurricane Helene stormed through the South. Western North Carolina is still rebuilding, and meager federal funding and FEMA chaos has slowed the recovery. A by-the-numbers look by @chriskromm.bsky.social: www.facingsouth.org/2026/03/inst...
The South's political clout is growing: @chriskromm.bsky.social looks at new data showing Southern states could gain up to 9 Congressional seats and Electoral College votes after the 2030 census count:
ICE has arrested and detained a Nashville journalist who reported stories critical of ICE. She’s married to a U.S. citizen and has been seeking asylum here after fleeing death threats in Colombia because of her journalism there.
They’ve already sent her to Louisiana.
This week's primaries made clear: Texas is a key battleground. The national importance of Texas and other Southern states is already growing. @chriskromm.bsky.social looks at new projections into the South's growing clout as we head towards the 2030 census: www.facingsouth.org/2026/03/sout...
Remember when Trump yanked funds from Mississippi after learning that the state's welfare chief had directed millions in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds to sports celebrities, including not only Brett Favre, but the Million Dollar man and his two pro-wrestler sons?
Wait. He didn't.
Who is making big money on ICE and Border Patrol contracts? In the 2nd installment in our series at Facing South, @chriskromm.bsky.social details 58 companies in Georgia that stand to receive $10 billion from 2025-2026 fiscal year contracts alone. www.facingsouth.org/2026/01/geor...
Imagine how much they’d be lying about what happened without all the videos showing it from multiple angles.
Can’t wait to see how many right-wingers get fired for making hideous comments about the people killed in Minneapolis.
NEW VIDEO: this appears to be the footage from the woman in the pink coat.
"Just stay cool and don't make trouble until the midterms" is not going to cut it as an opposition response to a murderous regime whose masked thugs are killing people in the streets and then attempting to round up witnesses and destroy evidence.
Who's making big money off ICE and Border Patrol contracts? After recent operations in Charlotte and New Orleans, I looked at the top contractors in Louisiana and North Carolina for @southernstudies.bsky.social: www.facingsouth.org/2025/12/whos...
I recently talked to Tram Nguyen of @newvamajority.bsky.social about lessons from last November's elections in Virginia and what progressives are planning for 2026. See my interview for @southernstudies.bsky.social here: www.facingsouth.org/2025/12/tram...
BREAKING: WATCH the full 60 Minutes CECOT segment here. This was sent to me anonymously. It appears to be the segment CBS' Bari Weiss killed. www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-...
70 years ago, the Montgomery Bus Boycott launched, energizing the Southern freedom movement. In 1981, Southern Exposure featured oral histories with people connected to the boycott to discuss its origins and legacy: facingsouth.org/1981/03/mont... @southernstudies.bsky.social
What's next for progressives in Virginia after their big wins in the 2025 elections? I talked with Tram Nguyen of New Virginia Majority for @southernstudies.bsky.social about key lessons from 2025, and their plans for moving a bold agenda in 2026: www.facingsouth.org/2025/12/tram...
New at @southernstudies.bsky.social: Who's making money off Border Patrol and ICE contracts in Louisiana and North Carolina? A look at $340 million worth of contracts in the wake of Border Patrol's immigration actions in LA and NC:
www.facingsouth.org/2025/12/whos...
70 years ago, the Montgomery Bus Boycott launched, energizing the Southern freedom movement. In 1981, Southern Exposure featured oral histories with people connected to the boycott to discuss its origins and legacy: facingsouth.org/1981/03/mont... @southernstudies.bsky.social
From Georgia to Virginia, the 2025 elections revealed a data center backlash. 40% of centers are in the South, with many more on the way, straining land, water & energy resources. My by-the-numbers look for @southernstudies.bsky.social
at the growing opposition: www.facingsouth.org/2025/11/inst...
BREAKING: Democrats have flipped a conservative state House seat in Georgia in yet another upset.
It's a 14-point overperformance *and* the 25th legislative flip of the year for Dems. Republicans? Zero.
Read our complete writeup here -->
SCOOP — Gregg Phillips, a conspiracy theorist with no emergency management experience who helped produce the election-denying documentary ‘2000 Mules’ with Dinesh D’Souza and has faced numerous legal inquiries, has been named head of FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery.
My story:
Democrats flip Miami mayor’s office, winning control for first time in nearly 30 years
Best self-editing advice I ever received (from my mom). Read it out loud!
#BREAKING: Over dissents from the three democratic appointees, #SCOTUS puts Texas's new House maps back into effect for (and, presumably, through) the 2026 midterms.
The three Democratic appointees, in an opinion by Justice Kagan, dissent.
I'll post the ruling shortly.
It's that time of year: Support an independent voice for change in the South! #GivingTuesday2025
www.facingsouth.org/defend-democ...
The data center backlash, by the numbers. The 2025 elections in Georgia and Virginia revealed growing push-back to data centers, especially due to rising energy demands. Via @southernstudies.bsky.social:
www.facingsouth.org/2025/11/inst...
My latest, about @siembranc.bsky.social and how they organized in North Carolina to counter Operation Charlotte's Web and Border Patrol's latest anti-immigrant crackdown, co-published in @thenation.com and @southernstudies.bsky.social
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
In the wake of the Department of Homeland Security's "Charlotte's Web" operation in North Carolina, a look at the top contracts being carried out in the state for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) @southernstudies.bsky.social
Press conference this evening in Durham, NC led by @siembranc.bsky.social in response to arrival of ICE in the city. Strong showing of elected officials and faith leaders condemning ICE’s secretive attacks on schools and businesses in the area.
