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‘Dry January’ isn’t just a challenge, it’s about taking back control
Coronavirus has severely limited the amount of time we can spend around other people. But it hasn’t all been good news. It’s also turned us [...]
The ‘hate buffet’: Why designating hate groups is harder than ever
As the country continues to reflect on the deadly armed riot at the U.S. Capitol building last week, an event that stirred anger throughout the [...]
Reframing purity culture, step by step
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from women in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to join the [...]
Gabrielle Perry: Progressing criminal justice reform for Black women
Gabrielle Perry found some of the nicest women she has ever met within the pink-walled holding cells of East Baton Rouge Parish Prison in January 2014. Then 21, the Louisiana native was arrested for committing payroll [...]
Was the attack on Congress un-American? Yes and no, historians say
In the minutes after pro-Trump rioters breached the halls of Congress, members of Congress and other elected officials took to social media to express their [...]
How an Electoral College objection 150 years ago ushered in Jim Crow
Has Congress ever effectively challenged the Electoral College? Just once. And it ushered in the Jim Crow era. Here's the story about how Congress turned [...]
Kwoya Fagin Maples talks poetry, trauma and the craft of writing with See Jane Write
Kwoya Fagin Maples is a poet, writer and a University of Alabama professor from Charleston, South Carolina. In her poetry collection, “Mend,” she explores [...]
Black Women and their Perennial Political Power
Many of the races on the ballot in the South in 2020 could be decided by Black women. This voting bloc has been a force in the political world for [...]
America’s racial wealth gap explained
On this week’s episode of Money Talks, Reckon discusses the racial wealth gap in America. The racial wealth distribution does not correlate with the racial [...]
What is wealth?
If you watched this week’s episode of Money Talks, you know we explored what wealth actually is. (Spoiler alert: wealth and money are not the [...]
I was born in April of ’63 outside Birmingham, just days before MLK wrote his remarkable letter from the Birmingham jail, which among other things excoriated the white church for silence on matters of race.
Are any of y'all giving Dry January a try? Intrepid reporter @CHarress is giving it a go.
He has some thoughts on it here. https://reckonsouth.com/dry-january-isnt-just-a-challenge-its-about-taking-back-control/
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Huntsville is confronting rare political waters: He could become the first Alabama member of Congress to be censured. Here's what that means: https://trib.al/ozr93n5
In Alabama, MLK Day means memories of love in the face of hate https://www.al.com/life/2021/01/in-alabama-mlk-day-means-memories-of-love-in-the-face-of-hate.html
While there were signs of change in Mississippi and Georgia on Jan. 6, there were signs of the Old South rearing their heads in Washington.
Making sense of that strange 48 hours:
Capitol riot: The 48 hours that echoed generations of Southern conflict
One hundred and fifty years after the Civil War, events in Mississippi, Georgia and Washington D.C., demonstrated the promises of a new South
trib.al
‘Dry January’ isn’t just a challenge, it’s about taking back control
Coronavirus has severely limited the amount of time we can spend around other people. But it hasn’t all been good news. It’s also turned us [...]
The ‘hate buffet’: Why designating hate groups is harder than ever
As the country continues to reflect on the deadly armed riot at the U.S. Capitol building last week, an event that stirred anger throughout the [...]
Reframing purity culture, step by step
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from women in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to join the [...]
Gabrielle Perry: Progressing criminal justice reform for Black women
Gabrielle Perry found some of the nicest women she has ever met within the pink-walled holding cells of East Baton Rouge Parish Prison in January 2014. Then 21, the Louisiana native was arrested for committing payroll [...]
Was the attack on Congress un-American? Yes and no, historians say
In the minutes after pro-Trump rioters breached the halls of Congress, members of Congress and other elected officials took to social media to express their [...]
Rep. Mo Brooks has sponsored just one bill that became law. What else has he done in Congress?
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks has sponsored just one bill that made it into law during his decade in Congress: the renaming of a U.S. Post [...]
Capitol riot: The 48 hours that echoed generations of Southern conflict
Hours after Mississippi legislators took the final step of removing a Confederate emblem from their state banner, a violent white mob waved the Stars and [...]
‘Do it scared’: 8 tips by a Southern Black yogi to get you together
So, let’s be real for a moment. Did seeing white fragility on full display at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday distract you from your goals this year? No judgment if [...]
Medical cannabis proposals blaze across the South
Three more Southern states could soon create medical cannabis programs. State legislators in Alabama, Kentucky and South Carolina have filed or pre-filed bills establishing such programs. [...]
Ain’t nothing too big for Black Joy
I’ll be honest with y’all. I didn't know how to open this week’s Black Joy. I've considered multiple angles. Like, should I start this off [...]
‘This is exhausting’: Therapists speak up about the pandemic, the weight they carry
Thousands of Americans have tried out therapy in the wake of 2020. Mental health awareness is up, but therapists are slammed.
Georgia officials on the U.S. Capitol breach
This is how Georgia officials responded to the mob raid at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Louisiana officials on the U.S. Capitol breach
This is how Louisiana officials responded to the mob raid at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Mississippi officials on the U.S. Capitol breach
This is how Mississippi officials responded to the mob raid at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Prominent Alabamians on the U.S. Capitol breach
This is how Alabama officials responded to the mob raid at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Arkansas officials on the U.S. Capitol breach
This is how Arkansas officials responded to the mob raid at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Florida officials on the U.S. Capitol breach
This is how Florida officials responded to the mob raid at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Kentucky officials on the U.S. Capitol breach
This is how Kentucky officials responded to the mob raid at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Tennessee officials on the U.S. Capitol breach
This is how Tennessee officials responded to the mob raid at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Feeling some type of way? Contact your lawmaker
Education. Taxes. Healthcare. Zoning ordinances. Roads. Benefits. Your elected officials make a lot of decisions that affect your life at the local, state and federal [...]
Electoral College showdown: How Southern Congress members voted on confirming Biden’s win
The vote of whether to confirm the Electoral College's 2020 election results happen on Jan. 6, 2020. Here's how it went.
Noah Harris: How to give people a reason to stay in Mississippi
Like his home state, Mississippi native Noah Harris caught attention in November when he became the first Black man to be elected to serve as Harvard University’s student body president. The 20-year-old junior and government major and his [...]
How an Electoral College objection 150 years ago ushered in Jim Crow
Has Congress ever effectively challenged the Electoral College? Just once. And it ushered in the Jim Crow era. Here's the story about how Congress turned [...]
Southern therapists on preparing for colder, darker days
Self-care doesn't have to cost $39.99 plus tax. It can be as simple as intentional breathing and taking a walk.
Some voted Trump, some backed Biden. What are their hopes for the future?
Both President Trump and the Biden/Harris campaign touted coalitions of voters supporting their campaigns. There were Climate Voters for Biden. Sportsmen for Trump. Latinos for [...]
11 Twitter handles to guide you through the Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs
Notwithstanding a tight race or maybe a last-minute phone call from the outgoing U.S. president, the good people of Georgia will find out in the [...]
New year, same Black Joy
On the last day of 2020, I read jokes on social media going around about black-eyed peas. A tried-and-true tradition was turned into a cautionary [...]
Reckon’s top 10 stories of 2020
You might have noticed that Reckon started to look a little different this year. The biggest reason is because we're listening more closely to our [...]
New documentary highlights a year in the South we’d love to forget, but shouldn’t
The short film is now streaming on Youtube, and you can read more about the process of filming here.
A look back at Reckon Women Voices essays that will inspire you to write your own
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from women in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to join the [...]
Why it matters that Alabama’s children of color will soon be the majority
Children of color will soon be the majority of children in Alabama, and people of color will make up the majority of the state’s workforce in a decade, according to [...]
Mimi Cole: The South’s lovely becoming through healing
With 2020 coming to a close, Mimi Cole can sense a deep healing coming for the South. She has watched the South shift and change as [...]
Kwoya Fagin Maples talks poetry, trauma and the craft of writing with See Jane Write
Kwoya Fagin Maples is a poet, writer and a University of Alabama professor from Charleston, South Carolina. In her poetry collection, “Mend,” she explores [...]
How to Have a Perfectly Imperfect Christmas
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up [...]
How this Covid nurse hoping to get pregnant made her decision about taking the coronavirus vaccine
In the days and months ahead, millions of Americans will be asked if they want the coronavirus vaccine, a mixture of mostly unpronounceable ingredients that [...]
The Reckon List 2021: These people are fighting to build the future South
Chokwe Lumumba, the late mayor of Jackson, Miss., used to say, "To change America, you have to change the South." That's been true since the [...]
At this COVID-19 unit, things were getting better. Now, its nurses fear a ‘tsunami’ is coming
Working in a hospital COVID-19 unit right now feels a little like being in a disaster flick, said Jake Perkins. A 24-year-old registered nurse in a medical intensive care unit at UAB, he’s caring for [...]
Black Joy: Black women, future Olympian winning during pandemic
Reach deeeep into the depths of your memory and see if you can recall when you were asked this question: What do you want to be when you grow up? Do [...]
Why I No Longer Celebrate Christmas
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign [...]
New cannabis trade group hopes to ‘revolutionize’ Mississippi economy
Mississippi now has a trade association to provide information and support to those hoping to participate in the state’s soon-to-be medical marijuana program. The newly formed Mississippi Cannabis [...]
Mississippi teacher shortage fueled by student loan crisis, report shows
Over the last seven years, Mississippi’s public education system has seen a sharp decline in the number of students graduating from in-state teaching programs and [...]
Amber Scales: Help Black women create a new South
While growing up in Georgia, Amber Scales learned that politics wasn’t so much about red and blue parties: it’s about the people and the movements that are making sure everyone is represented and heard. Her lessons came from watching what she calls “community [...]
Unjustifiable Chapter Six: Point 14
It was a decade after Black civil rights leaders had gathered in Birmingham to make 14 points to their white peers in Birmingham, to demand acknowledgement that Black people were still treated as second class citizens.
The Black joy of Black excellence
Turn to your neighbor and say: “Your black excellence is magic.” Notice I said “your” Black excellence, which doesn’t have to be this big, golden star achievement. You [...]
Purity culture followed me into marriage. Here’s why I wish it didn’t.
I wore a purity ring until my wedding day. On my wedding night, I was so nervous and scared I broke out in hives, [...]
Congress could decriminalize marijuana, but that won’t make it legal everywhere
Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that decriminalizes cannabis on the federal level. The bill will now go to the Senate, where [...]
10 HBCU grads making boss moves in the South
By Abbey Crain Reckon staff writer The 2020 election gave HBCU graduates a chance to shine, bringing to the forefront the fruits of historically Black [...]
Looking for better sex education? Try these resources
If you read our series on purity culture and sex education in the South and you’re hoping to make sex education better for your children and community, [...]
These people are making sex education better in the South
Toy Rollins knew she had to find some way to talk to her two older daughters about sex after she learned her children’s Atlanta-area charter [...]
After my dad quit his job, I received the best Christmas gift ever
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign [...]
Purity culture can impact long-term sexual health
This story is part of a series about purity culture, sex education and the role of family, faith and communities in addressing the lasting [...]
Experts say purity culture teaches boys an unrealistic view of sexuality
The gender roles assigned to men via purity culture further perpetuate sexual dissatisfaction and unrealistic relationship expectations, sex educators say. While a large portion [...]
David and Devin: Creating a Southern, Black, queer renaissance
The South has always been the stage of many forms of the country’s progress. Theatre creatives Devin Franklin and David Parker want more nuanced Black, queer narratives in the spotlight. Between finishing classes at [...]
Student loan debt hits Black students hardest. Is help on the way?
James Craig, a 31-year-old Black man from Prichard, in South Alabama, has a complicated history with education. His father wouldn’t allow him to attend the [...]
‘Come to church, we have the best sex:’ Christian leaders rethink purity culture messaging
This story is part of a series about purity culture, sex education and the role of family, faith and communities in addressing the lasting [...]
A conversation with Joshua Harris on “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”
This story is part of a series about purity culture, sex education and the role of family, faith and communities in addressing the lasting [...]
Purity culture: How sex was taught to a generation of Southerners
This story is part of a series about purity culture, sex education and the role of family, faith and communities in addressing the lasting [...]
Student loan forbearance ends Jan. 31. Here’s what you need to know.
Federal student loan forbearance is ending Jan. 31. That means you’ll have to start paying on your federal student loans again in February. Education Secretary [...]
Unjustifiable Chapter 5: Who is George Sands?
Who is Officer George Sands? The Birmingham police officer had amassed more than a dozen complaints before fatally shooting Bonita Carter.
Steven McIntyre: Serving up southern progress on a plate
Steve McIntyre is making a career of whipping up poetry on a plate. The 27-year-old Mobile, Ala., native gives his French-style fine dining training southern flare at Birmingham’s Eat [...]
Black Joy: Finding healing, meaning and solutions through art
It’s time to move our beautiful bodies with your weekly dose of Black Joy. Kicking things off with a video of Rachel Simonne performing an empowering, black-fist raising dance she dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Sustainable fashion continues Alabama sock entrepreneur’s family business
Reckon Women partnered with seven women-owned small businesses and creators whose stories illustrate the grit, innovation and creativity we admire, and together we curated holiday [...]
How I applied my PR strategies to survive my own life crises
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up [...]
OPINION | It’s time to address the trauma of adoption
Contributed By Mila Konomos and Rebecca Seung-Bickley Another November has passed us by. For those not already aware, November is designated as National Adoption Awareness [...]
Women-owned printmaking studio creates space for Alabama artists to make a statement
Reckon Women partnered with seven women-owned small businesses and creators whose stories illustrate the grit, innovation and creativity we admire, and together we curated holiday [...]
Unjustifiable Chapter Four: Catching the devil on all sides
Just sixteen years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched through Birmingham, the election of 1979 would prove pivotal for Black residents exercising their voting power.
5 ways to shop smarter this holiday season
The holidays are here, which means you’re already getting holiday catalogs in the mail and seeing holiday sale commercials on TV. It’s tempting to pull out that department [...]
Kat Files: Stop sleeping on Black southern talent
Birminghamian Kat Files doesn’t appreciate people side-eyeing Black creatives from the South. It’s a problem 28-year-old Files has bumped into multiple times as a professional dancer, model, and actress in [...]
All I want for Christmas is Black Joy
It’s beginning to look a lot like a Black Joy Christmas. Please, tell me you sung that. Ok, the tempo may be a little off, but you get the [...]
8 women activists minding the gap in the South
The South is home to the most diverse people, landscapes and culture in the country. We have so much to be proud of. But our [...]
Jacqueline McMillan finds healing in wood-carving after losing limbs to sepsis
Reckon Women partnered with seven women-owned small businesses and creators whose stories illustrate the grit, innovation and creativity we admire, and together we curated holiday [...]
Learning to live in the present even in a pandemic
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to [...]
Unjustifiable Chapter Three: ‘The Shoebox’
From 1909 to today we can now identify more than 500 shootings by police.
Skipping Friendsgiving: Why so many are passing on the tradition this year
Friendsgiving decision: Some say cancel everything. Some say it's worth the risk. Everyone is struggling.
Reckon Women curations: Unique gifts featuring Alabama makers
Throughout the year, we meet Alabama women almost everywhere who help us see the world differently, who write their own narratives and who craft [...]
Jamie Lowe: The consequences of stereotypes
With a knack for listening and passion for both people and politics, Opelika’s Jamie Lowe may remind you of Barack Obama – if the former president had a southern twang. It’s a comparison the [...]
Black Joy: Believe in your own dopeness – and pass the (vegan) mac and cheese
Words of affirmation. Physical touch. Quality time. Acts of service. Receiving gifts. Those are the five love languages according to Gary Chapman who literally wrote the book [...]
Southern states lead U.S. in preterm births
The South leads the nation in babies born too early, according to a new report from the March of Dimes, a national organization that [...]
Making a name for myself as a Shunnarah
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to [...]
South leads U.S. in young people living with parents
Young people are bearing the weight of the financial crisis caused by COVID-19 and will continue to suffer from the financial fallout for years to [...]
Fitz Webb: Building a more LGBTQ-inclusive South
Fitz Webb didn’t see a lot of people who looked like them while growing up in Georgia. But Webb, who uses the pronouns they, them [...]
Maternal mortality panel finds 70 percent of Alabama pregnancy deaths preventable; urges Medicaid expansion
Nearly 70 percent of pregnancy-related deaths of Alabama women were preventable in 2016, according to the state’s first report on maternal mortality since officials began collecting data last year. The report [...]
Unjustifiable Chapter Two: Anger and Action
Protest began to swell in Birmingham began to swell the night Bonita Carter was killed, and it grew larger and larger in the days that followed.
Alexus Cumbie: ‘We can’t leave anyone behind’
Welcome to the first edition of Young, Southern and Black, a series by Reckon that lends the microphone to Black southerners under 30 who are [...]
How do young Black people see the future of the South?
While growing up in Alabama, I was warned often: If you want to grow, get out of the South. For a minute there I daydreamed about snatching up [...]
Biden eyes student loan relief as Southerners bear $330 billion debt burden
There could be relief on the horizon for the millions of people with student loan debt across the country and in the southeast. Recently, the [...]
Unjustifiable Chapter One: ‘It was a girl in the car’
Episode One of “Unjustifiable” reconstructs the shooting of Bonita Carter, moment by moment and step by step, from the vantage points of onlookers, participants, store workers, witnesses and police.
Black Joy: Kamala’s success prompts twirling, dancing in the streets
Dear Black family, we showed out this week! From praising Black women who have spent years slaying voter suppression (I already got you covered with a list of [...]
How to build wealth from basically nothing
If you’ve been following the Money Talks series, you know it addressed some of the ways wealth is unequally distribution in America. Now, we want [...]
Speak up for women’s health all year long
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to [...]
8 Black women fighting for voting rights in the South
Georgia quickly became a meme during election week as mail in ballots slowly flipped the state blue for the first time in 1992. Social [...]
Mississippi’s medical marijuana law: What you need to know
Mississippi voters chose to create a medical marijuana program. Now that the initiative has received the voters’ seal of approval, what happens next? The now-approved Initiative [...]
How this Alabama couple bought a house for $8,000 cash
During the first walkthrough of their new home, Eddie and Katie Burkhalter looked around at piles of garbage, drug paraphernalia and graffiti-scrawled walls noting the previous tenants’ drug of choice. [...]
Unjustifiable: How an overlooked moment in Birmingham history charted a path to 2020
Reckon Radio presents: “Unjustifiable,” an investigative series from Pulitzer-prize winning columnist John Archibald and Roy S. Johnson examining an overlooked moment of civil rights history in the heart of the South.
Young Southerners leaned Democratic — until they hit their 30s
The conventional wisdom in the U.S. is the younger the voter the more likely they are to cast a ballot for Democrats. If you’re older, [...]
Black Joy: Strolling to the polls, Black firsts and curing election exhaustion
Whew, y’all. We made it. I don’t care if you’ve cried all week long, if your anxiety is high-key, on 10, or you're acting as [...]
What is a ‘cured’ ballot? How could they affect the election?
Elections in Georgia, Arizona and Nevada may come down to a few thousand ballots. As election managers and county boards of registrars scan and count [...]
The South leads nation in new business applications
Even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause economic uncertainty throughout the country, people are starting new businesses in record numbers, with most new applications [...]
The threads of privilege are all over me
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from an Alabama woman, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up [...]
Mississippi has medical marijuana: What does that mean for the rest of the South?
Mississippi voted on Tuesday to create a medical marijuana program, becoming the 35th state in America to legalize marijuana for medical use. Now that one [...]
Black Women and their Perennial Political Power
Many of the races on the ballot in the South in 2020 could be decided by Black women. This voting bloc has been a force in the political world for [...]
Reckoners respond: Who are you honoring with your vote?
We asked the Reckon audience who they were honoring with their 2020 vote. Here's how they responded.
Ala. sorority revvs up to overcome rural transportation shortages
As tens of millions of Americans descend on polling stations all over the country Tuesday, a determined group of volunteers will be helping thousands of [...]
Meet some of the people fighting for your right to vote
Feelin' anxious about tomorrow's vote? We feel ya. Here are a few non-partisan voter organizations working to make your vote count.
Southerners share their post-election hopes, fears and visions
On the eve of the election, we decided to ask people around the South three questions: What’s something you hope happens next year? What’s something you hope never happens again? What does the South look like in four years?
Where are Alabama’s elected Republican women?
Republican women are a key GOP voting bloc. Why do so few of them successfully run for legislative and statewide offices?
The Gender Wealth Gap
The women’s wealth gap is not the same as the women’s wage gap, but it may be a better measure of the financial health of [...]
Black Joy: Blacktober reanimates mostly white world with fun and Black culture
It’s time for a little Moon prism power (with a sprinkle of melanin magic)! Welcome back to Black Joy, a series by Reckon’s Black Magic [...]
How a Southern military community is converting to a renewable economy
In an Alabama city teeming with engineers and STEM talent, some are leaving the defense economy for the green one, creating an industry that's good for the environment and for workers.
Under 45 and running for high office in the South
Millennial participation in politics is growing. The Millennial Action Project, which tracks millennial participation in politics, estimates from 2018 to 2020, there has been a [...]
Meet the Arkansas mom, grad student and political candidate who’s now a TikTok hit
Kelly Krout, a stay-at-home mother running for office in Arkansas, is going viral on TikTok.
Finding my new normal after cancer
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up [...]
Aimée Castenell: The campaigns after the campaign
Fun fact: The election that's coming up, the one that has us kind of missing the zany local car salesman whose low-budget TV commercials have [...]
‘Rushed and undemocratic’: Hundreds of Ala. women decry Ivey’s support of Amy Coney Barrett
More than 800 Alabama women cosigned a letter this week, denouncing Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s support of what they called the “rushed and undemocratic” [...]
These Southerners risked everything to launch small businesses mid-pandemic
Not long after losing their jobs to the economic turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Jacksonville residents Carlos Gil and Reggie Williams found themselves drinking [...]
‘The million-dollar question’: When should entrepreneurs slow down?
Thousands of small-business owners have had to make tough decisions about changing or shuttering their businesses in the wake of COVID-19. Here's how one Southern entrepreneurial couple has shaken things up.
Lincoln Project co-founder says voters should reject Republicans, wipe out Trumpism
This week on the Reckon Interview, we’re talking about what comes next?
Reefer Madness: Mississippi has two medical marijuana questions on the ballot. How are they different?
Mississippi voters face two choices to legalize medical marijuana for certain patients this November. Officially, these measures — both of which will appear on ballots [...]
Black Joy weekly: Finding comedy in the church, bringing Black power to environmental justice
Laughter really is medicine we can pull from within. It sweetens bitter moments. Like when I read in the Commercial Appeal that a Tennessee election [...]
Deep South millennials prefer Biden to Trump, new study shows
For the 2020 presidential election, younger voters trend blue even in deeply red states like Alabama and Mississippi, according to a new survey. The new [...]
Becoming the one-breasted lady
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up [...]
Young, first-time Florida voters cast ballots with social justice, healthcare and economy in mind
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Lillian Ekiss, a 19-year-old first-time voter, waited over an hour and a half to cast her ballot at Pensacola State College on [...]
Lilly Ledbetter’s urgent warning about the Supreme Court
Lilly Ledbetter knows what it’s like to lose a Supreme Court case and to keep fighting. She shares her experience with Reckon and her concerns about the 2020 election and confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett.
Catherine Flowers, ‘genius grant’ winner, credits Black power activism for success
When the Earth is ill, so are its people. Catherine Flowers saw hints of that sickness growing up during the 1960s in Lowndes County, Ala., a predominantly Black rural area with fewer than [...]
America’s racial wealth gap explained
On this week’s episode of Money Talks, Reckon discusses the racial wealth gap in America. The racial wealth distribution does not correlate with the racial [...]
How the Supreme Court has shaped the South
The Supreme Court has the power to expand our definition of civil rights. Or to limit it.
Black Joy weekly: Voting, Black-woman owned apps and…babies?
Let me warn you right now. I'm probably about to get on your nerves. Because this is probably the millionth time you have read about [...]
Breast cancer taught me what it means to ‘woman up’
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman in the South, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to [...]
How the Alabama Democratic Party is picking up the pieces and rebuilding
This week on the Reckon Interview, we’re examining “the Doug Jones Effect.”
Level up your anti-voter suppression game with these tips
When votes aren’t counted, the voter’s voice is silenced. This is why organizations like Black Voters Matter are continuing a long-standing Southern tradition of doing the groundwork to increase Black [...]
Islamic mortgages: A less risky way to buy a home
Buying property can be a formidable process. Aside from the so-called fundamentals of looking for a home — dealing with a bank, arranging inspections and [...]
Reckon Mask Instagram Sweepstake (Giveaway) Rules
The Reckon Mask Instagram Giveaway (the "Sweepstake") OFFICIAL SWEEPSTAKE (Giveaway) RULES NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS [...]
How breast cancer ruined and restored my confidence
By Javacia Harris Bowser Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from a woman with ties to the South, in collaboration with See [...]
Black woman-owned rideshare app launches in Atlanta to offer female, LGBTQ safety
Late-night rideshare journeys shouldn't be dangerous or worrisome. Two young entrepreneurs in Atlanta want to make sure women get home safe with their new female-friendly rideshare app, HERide.
Conservatives confront an increasingly populist Republican Party
The Republican Party is changing, how do conservatives navigate the changes?
Jaime Harrison takes on old power in South Carolina, offers a ‘New South’ vision
Polls show incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, in a dead heat with his Democratic challenger, Jaime Harrison.
Black Joy this week: A new ‘Black Magic Project’ series
Hiya, y’all! Welcome to your weekly dose of Black joy from the Black Magic Project. You may have paused there to be like, “Black Magic [...]
The South still lags U.S. on paying women fairly
Alabama still has one of the widest gender wage gaps in the nation, and most of the South follows suit, a Reckon analysis shows. Nationally, women [...]
Say what? Millennials have a better shot at retiring early than Boomers
In an earlier story, which you can find here, Bruce and Calley Coldsmith, a Mobile, Ala.,-based father and daughter financial planning team, talked about how [...]
The doctor is out: A snapshot of women’s health in the 21st century
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from an Alabama woman, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up [...]
Want to retire early and still have fun? With aggressive investing and frugal living, it’s possible
As the global pandemic continues to heap financial concerns upon millions of Americans, including mass unemployment and fears over an economic recovery, retirement may not [...]
New prisons won’t fix Alabama’s prison problem
Alabama has a prison problem.
‘It’s not random’: How the government built a justice system that criminalizes Black Americans
One of the stunning things about current mass incarceration culture is how much it looks like it always has.
As women suffer more under the financial strains of COVID-19, The Wealth Edit is stepping up to help
Cassandra Leibensperger gave birth to her daughter Tzipporah in January. She was supposed to start a new engineering job with a government contractor in [...]
Hobby to side-hustle: How the pandemic blues inspired Southern creatives
Amidst loss and poor mental health in a global pandemic, creative industry and side-gigs are at an all-time high.
Widowed at a young age, she turned tragedy into a catalyst for supporting women’s financial planning
Emily Lassiter is an attorney turned financial advisor and mother of two who lives in Birmingham, Ala. She co-founded The Wealth Edit, an online, [...]
Reckon Women share: If I knew then what I know now about money
Women in America hold less than one-third the wealth of men. Motherhood and race further complicate women’s lifetime wealth earning potential.In this season of Money [...]
I didn’t fully commit to my married name until my daughter started kindergarten
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from an Alabama woman, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up [...]
Will the stimulus package address inequities in the South?
It’s possible that this could be the latest economic downturn to deepen historic inequities, not address them.
Is the South’s economy broken? The historic origins of a crisis
Dr. Stephanie M. Yates explains how today’s wealth gap can be explained by a history of policies that cut Black and Brown people out of the opportunity to accumulate wealth.
‘All right to be a hero’: Meet the woman whose landmark case was the first Ruth Bader Ginsburg argued at the Supreme Court
One day in June 1999, Sharron Cohen stood nervously on steps of the U.S. Supreme Court facing a bank of photographers and lawyers. Beside her, appearing equally uncomfortable, was Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. [...]
What is wealth?
If you watched this week’s episode of Money Talks, you know we explored what wealth actually is. (Spoiler alert: wealth and money are not the [...]
I fight with my fingertips
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from an Alabama woman, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up [...]
Kiese Laymon: ‘You can’t help but be inspired’ by Mississippi students pushing change
When it comes to making money on the multi-billion-dollar college football industry, Kiese Laymon doesn't consider himself guiltless.
Reckon Women launches ‘Be Better’ virtual event series
Reckon Women is launching a monthly Zoom panel series we're calling “Be Better.” Each month we will hear from extraordinary women across various backgrounds [...]
2020 has permanently changed college football
This week on the Reckon Interview, we are discussing the politics of football. The historic movements led by athletes, and the slow change of major institutions like the SEC and NCAA.
Southerners from eight states demand Medicaid expansion
Activists from eight Southern states have formed a new coalition to urge Medicaid expansion. Of the 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid since the [...]
The last supper before the pandemic
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from an Alabama woman, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up [...]
The South’s rural hospitals need a lifeline
The South is a region where few states have expanded Medicaid, a decision driven in part by the politics of expanding a program tied to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Broken by design: The long history of the South’s fragmented health care system
The Covid-19 pandemic laid bare the problems with the South’s fragmented, patchwork health care system. Nine out of 10 people in the United States who fall into the “coverage gap” live in the South. The region leads the country in high rates of chronic disease and each year we see more and more hospitals shuttering across the rural South.
How exotic dancing helped me succeed in corporate America
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from an Alabama woman, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up [...]
Reckon Women to host virtual writing workshop with Javacia Bowser
No matter how you came into this pandemic, you are likely leaving it differently. To navigate change, one of the most powerful tools at [...]
‘We can change some stuff’: Inside a youth-led voter group’s COVID era engagement
Mississippi Votes, a youth-led voter education and engagement organization, was already using innovative digital strategies. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. But that opened up even [...]
To live here, you have to fight: What organizing looks like in the South
In an op-ed published on the day of his funeral, Congressman John Lewis offered one final lesson. “Democracy is not a state,” he wrote. “It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.”
‘Stand your ground’: Black drivers have always found creative paths into racing despite racism and financial barriers
By Christopher Harress Reckon Staff Writer On a Sunday afternoon in late 1963, on a ramshackle dirt speedway in northeast Florida, a powder blue Chevrolet [...]
How should a Black southern woman commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment?
Javacia Harris Bowser is celebrating the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote by acknowledging the work of Black suffragists such as Ida B. Wells.
The consistent, disciplined and thankless work of Black women in American politics
A few years ago, when Alabama Democrat Doug Jones narrowly won a U.S. Senate seat, there were more than a few news headlines suggesting that Black women, almost out of the blue, had become inspired to ramp up their organizing efforts to help deliver Jones the victory. Truth is, though, it's always been Southern Black women doing the in-the-trenches work of grassroots organizing in this country — from abolition to civil rights to women's equality.
How the South nearly killed women’s suffrage
This week on the Reckon Interview, we examine the South's role in larger movements for universal women's rights.
Our lives shatter: poetry, prayer and the plight of Black and Brown people
Each week the Reckon Women newsletter includes a column from an Alabama woman, in collaboration with See Jane Write. Click here to sign up for [...]
How far does $15 stretch behind bars in Alabama? Find out at our virtual prison commissary
Click this direct link for the optimal Commissary Slips app experience. In Alabama, state prisoners say items purchased from commissaries are vital to their [...]
Alabama Department of Corrections statement on commissaries
Samantha Rose, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Corrections, emailed the below statement in response to a series of questions prior to the publication [...]
Can the South become a two-party region?
This week on the Reckon Interview, we’re exploring the “Southern Strategy” and its impact on national politics.
How Southern voters reshaped national politics
America's political parties have reshaped themselves based on Southern movements and ideologies.
Absentee voting, the USPS, and COVID-19: How to ensure your vote counts
The USPS is warning states that the federal government's defunding of its services could affect the 2020 election by delaying mail-in ballots. Many had hoped [...]
Reckon Women reflects on first year while looking ahead
https://youtu.be/XPsW5MVJG00 Earlier this year, the first anniversary of Reckon Women quietly passed while we all navigated life during a pandemic and racial justice uprisings [...]
Why I don’t regret going to a predominantly white college
LaKisha Cargill talks about how she thrived at a predominantly white college.
Is the South prepared to vote during a pandemic?
No Southern state regularly votes by mail – just five states in the United States have universal vote-by-mail laws. And the emergency application of existing absentee voting laws has been a patchwork of implementation and federal court orders.
The Movements that Make Us: Why the Reckon Interview is Doing Politics Different
Less than a week before her famous act of defiance, Rosa Parks attended a meeting at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church about a lynching in neighboring Mississippi.
How America undermined the Voting Rights Act
From the very beginning, people have worked to undermine the voting protections enshrined in the VRA. What does that look like in 2020? Listen to this week's episode of the Reckon Interview.
Haylie McCleney of THIS IS US SOFTBALL on The Reckon Interview Live
Morris, Ala. native and professional softball player Haylie McCleney talks softball, growing up in Alabama, and how she & her teammates turned a politically decisive tweet into a movement combining softball and racial inequality & social justice awareness with THIS IS US SOFTBALL.
Starting school during COVID
Kaci Lane Hindman grapples with the changes her children will be forced to experience going back to school during a pandemic.
Reed Watson of Single Lock Records on The Reckon Interview Live
Reed Watson is the Chairman of the Advocacy Fund for Alabama Musicians, a musician himself, as well as label director and partner at Single Lock [...]
Black with COVID: Episode 1
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions to everyday life for everyone in the United States, but it is disproportionately affecting Black Americans. Black Americans [...]
‘Stunt and flex’: This student’s new fashion brand wants to make voting cool and hip
Historically, American's have adorned themselves with clothing that sends a signal. This Southern college student wants to make voting a fashion statement.
How COVID-19 taught me to stop taking responsibility for others and start caring for myself
Samantha Williams writes about finding independence and personal responsibility while quarantining with her family.
My COVID diagnosis gave me crippling anxiety. Then I learned to let go.
By Christopher Harress Reckon Staff Writer I always thought I was mostly unflappable. I’d served in the British Royal Navy for four years back when [...]
Zac Oyama on CollegeHumor, Key & Peele and finding decent Southern food in LA
You probably recognize Zac Oyama from College Humor videos. He’s also a regular on Comedy BangBang and the Upright Citizens Brigade. He worked on Key & Peele and Adam Ruins Everything.
Learn more about higher education’s racist past with these reads
By Lily Jackson Taking that first college campus tour is a treat. In the South, the tour includes the long walks through shadeless corridors [...]
Pandemic victory gardens remind us that Southern agriculture is a form of resistance
I grew a garden during the pandemic for the first time and learned about the South's history of gardening during strife.
‘No word of support’: The University of Georgia has a history of dodging campus racism. Students say that ends now.
The University of Georgia released a hoard of "diversity initiatives" this week, but students are asking what makes these any different than previous fruitless efforts. "This is not the end."
Alabama fails young people on sexual health, report finds
Abstinence only sex ed, poor access to health care linked to high cervical cancer, sexually transmitted infection rates
What’s the best case scenario for a coronavirus vaccine?
UAB's Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo discusses potential vaccines, hospital capacity, school safety and more.
Reckon Creates master class series presents: Trace Barnett, The Bitter Socialite
If you grew up with a Southern grandma who lived out in the country, you probably remember jars of green beans, tomatoes, okra and more [...]
New Reckon top editor, leadership
Veteran journalist and news leader Ryan “R.L.” Nave has joined Reckon as its top editor where he will lead editorial strategy for the brand and [...]
‘We will escalate’: LSU students vow to take anti-racism fight beyond renaming buildings
LSU acted fast when they changed the name of one building, but now, students say university administration is slowing the change. Some students won’t accept that this fall.
Finebaum on the moments when he can’t ‘stick to sports’
Paul Finebaum discusses his legacy, TV projects he has in the works, his relationship with his callers, and his thoughts on “Stick to Sports” comments.
Alabama police officer reunites with his children after recovering from COVID
By Dez Wilson Harry Wills Jr., a Birmingham, Ala., police officer recently shared his story of battling COVID-19 on TikTok. Wills is the father of [...]
At Ole Miss, despite Confederate statue’s relocation, a fight to support Black students is far from over
Mississippi has seen changes over the past few weeks, but students are far from done fighting for equitable education and reparative justice.
A new generation of Black mayors walks a fine line to confront policing in their cities
Young, black mayors in cities across the South are finding the balance between answering to their communities and managing law enforcement.
Alabama’s largest universities to grapple with deep wounds from slavery, Jim Crow. Can they build a better future?
It’s no surprise that Alabama and Auburn share dark histories of racism. But as a growing number of students demand to bring those injustices further into the light, can reconciliation and healing begin?
Remember Silent Sam: Student activists head back to campus more determined than ever to address racism
Students are heading back to campus in August, ready to overthrow white supremacy. Are universities ready?
“Coming together to fight injustice”
Over the last week, thousands of people across Alabama have turned out to protest police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Pictured is Mia Speights of Birmingham.
‘I’m scared of you,’ young speaker says to police officer at Huntsville city council meeting
They came to the Huntsville city council to ask questions and levy criticism after police twice last week released tear gas to break up protests over the death of George Floyd. More than three dozen people spoke, some firing harsh words at Huntsville police Chief Mark McMurray and Mayor Tommy Battle and others wanting to know why the protests were halted in a militaristic manner.
Kneeling is healing
Kneeling is healing. Listen. Look around. Pay attention. Who is humble? Who is kneeling? Listen. Love.
University of Alabama, in first step, to remove three Confederate plaques from campus
Three Confederate memorial plaques are to be removed from the University of Alabama campus. The decision came from the Board of Trustees of the UA System, in consultation with Stuart Bell, UA president, according to a release from the UA System on Monday afternoon. The three plaques are located on and in front of the Gorgas Library, and they will be relocated to a “more appropriate historical setting.”
Admiral Raphael Semmes statue removed overnight
The 120-year-old Confederate statue of Admiral Raphael Semmes was removed overnight without any warning by the City of Mobile. The removal comes after days of peaceful protest in the Port City and after Birmingham removed its Confederate memorial in Linn Park Monday and Tuesday.
Books on racial justice, anti-racism fly off bookstore shelves
Major retailers and local bookstores alike have seen a surging demand for books about racial justice as protests and demonstrations against police brutality have been held around the world. Of the top 20 best-selling books on Amazon the morning of June 5, 14 of those books were about racial equality.
Protest at Memorial Park in Mobile
This young child is protesting today on the edge of Mobile’s Memorial Park. Situated between a monument to those who died in the Great War fighting against colonial powers and a Confederate Civil War cannon, around 100 young activists lined the park to protest the death of George Floyd and other black people who have died at the hands of police officers. 📸 @charress
Roy Wood Jr. to Jimmy Fallon: ‘I’ve never been more proud to be from Birmingham’
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. joined “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Wednesday to talk about being back in Birmingham and the removal of the Confederate monument from Linn Park.
Protest in Mobile is young, diverse and very peaceful
Situated between a World War I monument and a Confederate Civil War cannon, around 100 young activists gathered in Mobile’s Memorial Park Thursday afternoon to protest the death of George Floyd and other black people who died at the hands of police. Compared to the civil unrest seen in Mobile on Sunday and in Birmingham and Huntsville over the last five days, Thursday’s protest in the Port City was remarkably different. Protesters, who lined Old Government Street and Government Street, were young, diverse, and very peaceful.
Woodfin tells NBC’s ‘Today’ he’s received death threats after removing Confederate monument
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin on Wednesday told NBC’s “Today Show” he has received death threats after he had the Confederate Soldiers & Sailors Monument removed from the city’s Linn Park.
Father and Daughter at Mobile Protest
Sweet father and daughter moment at a very peaceful and uplifting protest in West Mobile Tuesday evening. The protests were led by passionate high school and college-aged kids.
Mobile, Alabama Protest
Young protesters just off Airport Boulevard in Mobile. They wanted to march down on the main road but MPD Chief Lawrence Battiste threatened to arrest them if they stopped the regular flow of traffic. They stuck to the fringes of a nearby parking lot.
Obelisk Confederate monument removed from Birmingham’s Linn Park
Monday night, a day after protesters tried to destroy the obelisk Confederate monument that stood in Birmingham’s Linn Park, the statue was dismantled by a contractor hired by the city. Tuesday morning, only the base remained.
Birmingham Protests May 31, 2020
Windows were smashed, small businesses looted, and a statue of Thomas Jefferson was set on fire Sunday night in Birmingham after protestors' attempted and failed to bring down a confederate monument in Linn Park. Protests erupted across the country this weekend in response to the police killing of George Floyd on May 25.
Tell us why you mask up
We want to hear your reasons.
Why do you wear a mask?
We're sharing your reasons why you mask up.
More than 103,000 dead in the U.S. because of COVID-19
Something to think about next time you are debating whether to take precautions to protect yourself and others.
Reckon’s Handy Guide
Why would a white person want to use that word? Even if you don't mean harm, if you know that it causes painful feelings to surface or be interpreted as hateful toward people of color, is it worth it to sing it?
André Holland on ‘The Eddy,’ restoring a theater in Bessemer, and how the South shaped his art
This week on the Reckon Interview, we’re talking with Andre Holland, one of the most talented and thoughtful actors in the business. You’ve seen him in movies like 42, High Flying Bird, Selma, and Moonlight, or TV shows like The Knick and Castle Rock.
Reproductive justice non-profit buys Alabama abortion clinic
The director of the Yellowhammer Fund, a non-profit that provides financial assistance for abortions in Alabama, said she was considering shutting down the organization amid financial worry before Alabama passed a law banning near all abortions in the state in May 2019 . One year later, after an influx of more than $2 million in donations from across the country in the immediate aftermath of the ban and the support of 1,200 monthly financially sustaining members, the fund now owns and operates the West Alabama Women’s Center, one of three of remaining abortion clinics in the state.
Alex McDaniel on college football games without fans, telling Southern stories and more
Alex McDaniel, Deputy Editor, SBNation
As Alabama reopens, will people wear masks?
Crowds gathered Tuesday afternoon in parking lots surrounding Huntsville Hospital. Parents and kids, grandparents and teens sat on tailgates and waited for a promised military flyover honoring hospital workers. Few were wearing masks, but none were crowded together, keeping mostly to their cars.
How are extroverts finding purpose without people?
The unmistakable riff from the early ’90s grunge hit, “Smells Like Teen Spirit," by Nirvana has been keeping Anna Mahan busy in quarantine. Mahan, a recent graduate of the University of North Alabama, has been trying to fill every moment of self-isolation with engaging activities, like learning chords on her new guitar, streaming shows, and reading books. In a non-pandemic world, the self-described extrovert would be working closely with others at her now-canceled internship in Honduras.
Frank Stitt on the challenges facing restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic
Frank Stitt, co-owner and operator of Highlands Bar & Grill, James Beard Award winner for Best American Restaurant (2018), Bottega, and Chez Fonfon in Birmingham
Why did black voters back Biden? Michael Harriot explains
Michael Harriot, an award-winning senior writer for the Root and one of the most influential voices in the South today
Here’s how Alabama parents teach during the pandemic
Alabama families are dealing with a host of compounding issues as they adjust to remote learning, including working from home while homeschooling children and protecting the family – and their finances – from the coronavirus pandemic.
Many believed college admissions would never change. Then COVID-19 hit.
High school juniors and seniors would usually be preparing for final standardized tests, polishing their college applications and rounding out their adolescence with senior photoshoots and promposals.
From how much to save to student loan payments, what young people need to know to survive a recession
As coronavirus leaves more than 20 million Americans unemployed and even more with reduced wages, it seems there are more questions than answers. Do I qualify for unemployment? Will I get a stimulus check? Is now a good time to buy a house or start investing?
Peggy Wallace Kennedy: On choosing a different legacy from George Wallace
The daughter of two governors, Peggy Wallace Kennedy is writing a legacy of her own.
John Paul White on John Prine, Alabama and how COVID-19 has changed the music business
John Paul White speaks with Reckon about how COVID-19 is affecting the music business, Muscle Shoals and what John Prine means to him.
The Reckon Interview: Season 2
You can’t understand America without understanding the South. And Southerners are changing the music America listens to, the movies we watch, the food we eat, and the stories we share. Each week on The Reckon Interview, host John Hammontree talks with some of the South’s most interesting thinkers and creators. They'll talk about how this place shaped them and how they’re reshaping the South.
Bryan Stevenson on ‘Just Mercy’
"I hope people will take from this that, if we resolve to do better, we have the power to do better," Alabama innocence lawyer and Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson says about the new film, 'Just Mercy'. "We can create a more reliable, more just system. But it takes all of us." "Just Mercy," which features Michael B Jordan playing Stevenson and Jamie Foxx as his client, Walter McMillan, and is in theatres everywhere Friday.
Reckon Women: Pre-term Infant Loss and Heartache
"Hold on to hope, Mothers. We are some of the strongest people God ever created." Warning: This video discusses graphic elements of infant loss. These brave women shared their hearth-wrenching stories of pregnancy complications and infant loss with us for Reckon | Women. Did you know that Alabama has the highest pre-term birth rate in the nation, behind only Mississippi?
David French on conservative media, Never Trumpism, Syria and the South
David French, a conservative writer and co-founder of The Dispatch.
How do you cover environmental issues in the South? Lyndsey Gilpin is charting a course
Lyndsey Gilpin founded Southerly in 2016 to fill a gap she saw in Southern journalism.
Margaret Renkl on grief and the nature of the South
On this week’s episode of the Reckon Interview, we chat with Margaret Renkl about her stunning new book, “Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss.”
The Banner Society’s Ryan Nanni on the internet’s new home for college football
On this week’s episode of the Reckon Interview, we chat with Ryan Nanni, the site’s Editor-in-Chief about why the internet needed another college football site, his journey from commenter to writer to editor, and how college football rivalries spilled over into his past life as an attorney.
Sarah Parcak on archaeology from space, history in the South
Dr. Sarah Parcak, a space archaeologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the 2016 winner of the TED Prize. She has a new book out called “Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past,” which highlights how she and her colleagues use satellite technology to deepen our understanding of ancient history. On this week's episode, we discuss ancient civilizations, Confederate monuments, and how she has helped carve out a whole new field of exploration.
John T. Edge on what makes food ‘Southern’
John T. Edge knows as much as anyone about Southern food. On this week's episode of the Reckon Interview, the founder of Southern Foodways Alliance makes some bold claims about BBQ, describes what makes a good bar (and why the hangovers are still worth it), explains why immigrants hold the keys to the future of Southern food, and shares what he loves about Oxford, Mississippi.
Sonequa Martin-Green on Star Trek, Walking Dead, Space Jam and Alabama
Sonequa Martin-Green discusses the highs and lows of a career that's taken her from Russellville, Alabama, to the farthest reaches of the universe. She shares stories from her mom's cancer scares, her thoughts on being a black lead actress in sci-fi and fantasy, the details she can about Space Jam 2, and how she stays tied to Alabama.
Rev. William Barber on building a moral coalition in the South, comparisons to MLK
Rev. Dr. William Barber II draws a lot of comparisons to another Southern preacher. He’s been heralded by people like Dr. Cornell West as today’s answer to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The North Carolina-based pastor today is fighting for many of the same issues King marched for 50 years ago.
Lee Bains on Southern rock, protest music, immigration and Birmingham
Lee Bains III shares his views on the South in the latest episode of The Reckon Interview.
What is the ‘Southern Lady Code?’ Author Helen Ellis explains
On episode 3 of the Reckon Interview, author Helen Ellis discusses the role coded language plays with women in the South.
Billy Reid on Southern style, Muscle Shoals and James Bond
Billy Reid is one of the top fashion designers in the world. He’s been named GQ’s designer of the year his clothes have been worn by everyone from James Bond to the Avengers.
Roy Wood Jr. on Southern comedy, The Daily Show and growing up in Birmingham
The Daily Show’s Roy Wood, Jr. on Southern comedy, stereotypes and getting a sitcom filmed in Alabama.
PrideFest and Drag in Alabama
What? You didn't know the history of drag in Alabama? Honey, you need to meet Bronzie DeMarco. She can explain everything.
Voicing the Violence: Reflection on Lynching Memorial
It's been more than a year since The National Memorial for Peace and Justice opened in Montgomery. Since then, nearly half a million people have visited. In a moving tribute, Reckon's Starr Dunigan reflects on why it's important we remember those lynched by mobs in Alabama and around the country.
What is ‘The South?’
Is it the accent? SEC speed? The Mason-Dixon line? Sweet tea? How do YOU define the South? Let the debate begin.