The share of Southern workers in unions slightly increased in 2025, mirroring a small uptick in unionization nationally, according to government data released in February.
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...
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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:
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...
Read our previous report on Border Patrol and ICE contracts in Louisiana and North Carolina here: www.facingsouth.org/2025/12/whos... @chriskromm.bsky.social
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...
NEW VIDEO: What does Duke owe Durham? Historian and urbanist @davarianbaldwin.bsky.social breaks down the role of universities like Duke and why they should invest more to support workers and communities. www.facingsouth.org/2025/10/watc...
Southern states are being disproportionately hard-hit by the government shutdown. Analysis finds 8 of 20 states most affected are in the South, based on indicators including share of federal jobs and contract dollars per capita. More:
wallethub.com/edu/governme...
🗳️Democracy is strongest when everyone has a voice.
Last month we released the Blueprint for a Stronger Democracy — a bold plan to defend and expand democracy in NC.
40+ bipartisan policies to protect voting rights & ensure every voice counts.
Learn more: www.southernstudies.org/2025Blueprint
This Founders’ Day, @durhamrising.bsky.social urges Duke to honor the workers — past & present — who keep the university running. The campaign demands higher wages & investment in Durham, challenging Duke’s history of resisting worker activism.
www.facingsouth.org/2025/09/durh...
🚨 Democracy in NC and nationwide is under threat. Our new Blueprint for a Stronger Democracy outlines 40+ reforms to protect and strengthen our institutions. NC has a proud history of democratic innovation with proven, bipartisan solutions,w e can lead again.
👉 www.facingsouth.org/2025/09/nc-a...
So thrilled to be back in Durham to help strategize and build people power, so that our wealthiest local institutions truly lean into community responsibility beyond symbolic gestures...let's go ✊🏿!!!
What Does Duke Owe Durham? Join us Friday 9/26 at 2pm for a forum featuring @davarianbaldwin.bsky.social about how Duke University can support workers and the community. Visit here for more info and to RSVP: www.southernstudies.org/davarianbald... @durhamrising.bsky.social
“At approximately 7:05 am, University Police was notified of what appeared to be the body of a Black male hanging from a tree (at) central campus near the DSU pickleball course,” Delta State University Chief of Police Michael Peeler said on Monday.
A Georgia judge said this week he will toss racketeering charges against 61 "Cop City" protesters. For Facing South
I interviewed attorney Devin Franklin at @thesoutherncenter.bsky.social about the flimsy state RICO charges when they were first brought two years ago @southernstudies.bsky.social
Southern states will feel brunt of attacks on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: 49% of complaints filed with CFPB since 2011 have come from 13 states in the South @ddayen.bsky.social @warren.senate.gov @southernstudies.bsky.social @crlonline.bsky.social
www.facingsouth.org/2025/08/inst...
As the Trump administration escalates its efforts to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an Institute analysis finds that half of the complaints filed by consumers asking for the Bureau's help have come from Southern states.
www.facingsouth.org/2025/08/inst...
This #LaborDay, we remember John Stewart, a Black sawmill worker in Arkansas who won a promotion, back pay, and legal costs with his union’s support—part of a wave of Black workers reclaiming wages, showing fairness at work is won through solidarity.
www.facingsouth.org/eeoc-mandate...
@durhamrising.bsky.social is urging Duke to invest in its city & raise employee wages to $25/hr. Historian Davarian Baldwin says universities often worsen gentrification & inequality, and advocates PILOT programs to support schools, housing & public services.
www.facingsouth.org/2025/08/what...
On the 62nd anniversary of the March on Washington, we look back at a 2023 Facing South story, where photographer Earl Dotter reconnected with Raymona Middleton — first photographed there as a teenager— to reflect on the march’s enduring meaning.
www.facingsouth.org/2023/08/marc...
📅 On this day in 1975, Joan Little became the 1st woman in U.S. history acquitted for using deadly force to resist sexual assault—killing a white guard in self-defense.
In 1978, Southern Exposure revisited how her case reshaped racial & gender justice in the South.
www.facingsouth.org/i-am-joan
Today: North Carolinians protested at the legislature in Raleigh, speaking out against a number of bad bills that hurt immigrant and LGBTQ communities, attack diversity, and more. They called on lawmakers to uphold Governor Stein's vetoes of these harmful bills.
From the Archives: Medicaid expansion is the lifeline rural hospitals need.
Back in 2022, we examined how Southern hospitals were on the brink and how expanding Medicaid could save them. The stakes are still high.
www.facingsouth.org/2022/01/medi...
From the Archives: In 1980, Anne Braden wrote:
“It is only on the basis of racism that a mass fascist movement can be built in America.”
📚 Her essay on the Greensboro Massacre is essential reading in the fight against fascism.
www.facingsouth.org/1980/08/less...
🚨 NC Republicans are pushing SB416—a bill backed by ALEC & dark money groups like DonorsTrust—that would block public access to political donor info.
Gov. Stein vetoed it. Now the GOP aims to override.
Critics warn: transparency is at stake.
🔗 www.facingsouth.org/2025/07/gop-...
On July 4, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The results?
💸 $183.5B cut from Southern Medicaid
🏥 354K could lose coverage
🚨 289 rural hospitals at risk (37%)
⚠️ 77% of Southern Senators voted yes
📊 More via Facing South: www.facingsouth.org/2025/07/inst...
📚 A reading list tracing connections between Southern U.S. movements and global struggles for liberation, including Gaza. From civil rights sit-ins to Southern ties to U.S. militarism, these readings explore protest, policing, and solidarity across decades.
www.facingsouth.org/2024/05/sout...
