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 the first day of early voting in the Sunshine State. She is eager to see big changes on a variety of social justice issues that [...]
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 10,000 people. She noticed how both animals and vegetation bowed and browned in death after farmers sprayed clouds of DDT, a pesticide eventually found to be lethal to the environment. “If this is [...]
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 demographics of America. White Americans have a disproportionately large percentage of the wealth in America compared to people of color. Data from the Federal Reserve [...]
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 your voting power. But with so much oppression placed upon Black people, showing us smiling and laughing in Black Magic Project's weekly series about Black [...]
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 sign up for the newsletter. Click here to sign up for the Reckon Women Facebook page. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October’s essays [...]
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.”
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 signing piles of paperwork — you also have to think about the long-term financial risks involved. Will your house lose value? Will you end up [...]
Will the ‘Doug Jones effect’ transform Southern politics?
This week on the Reckon Interview, we’re examining “the Doug Jones effect.”
Black Joy this week: Empowering Black sons and a Black Lives Matter activist’s self-care ritual
Breathe in deeply. Hold your breath for four seconds. Breathe all the way out. Hold for another for another four seconds. Now return to your regular breathing and welcome yourself back to Black Joy, a weekly series by the Black Magic Project that’s all about bringing peace and love to [...]
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 Whaaaaat?” Don’t worry. Let me explain. While chasing breaking news as a night reporter, I heard these words often: “You only come when we are [...]
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 make 82 cents for every dollar paid to men, with an annual gap of $9,774. Southern women earn less, around 78 cents on average. Women in [...]
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 to retire early, how much money you should be putting into your 401(k) and why it’s still possible to have fun and save at the [...]
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 for the newsletter. Click here to sign up for the Reckon Women Facebook page. By Mikkaka Overstreet I never thought I’d get a hysterectomy at [...]
Amanda Shires confronts ‘The Problem’ with abortion in the South through new song
Amanda Shires wants people who have had abortions to feel less alone in their decision. The Grammy-winning singer and songwriter released “The Problem,” about a couple navigating the decision to have an abortion, on International Safe Abortion Day. All proceeds will benefit Alabama’s Yellowhammer Fund, an abortion fund and [...]
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 be your biggest concern right now. But the stock market, which holds most of our retirement hopes in its mind-boggling numbers and graphs, continues to [...]
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 Huntsville, Ala. when her maternity leave ended in April. But her employer was not able to safely accommodate her work accommodations, required due to her [...]
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, membership-based community for women looking to learn more about personal finance with Emily Pearson, another Birmingham-based financial advisor. Emily talks about losing her husband at [...]
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 Talks, Reckon explores wealth — who has it and how to grow it.Reckon asked members of the Reckon Women Facebook group to share what they [...]
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 for the newsletter. Click here to sign up for the Reckon Women Facebook page. By Mary Lanaux Katzman A few weeks ago, the kindergarten moms [...]
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. “Do you enjoy this?” Cohen recalls whispering to Ginsburg. “I mostly work,” Ginsburg muttered back, drily. The occasion – a photo for a calendar celebrating the Women in Military Service for [...]
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 same thing). If you have a lot of money or a lot of cool expensive stuff, you might be wealthy. But you may just be [...]
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 for the newsletter. Click here to sign up for the Reckon Women Facebook page. By Randi Pink This summer, a rumor began circulating around Birmingham [...]
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 to discuss how we can be better in different areas of life. Our inaugural "Be Better" panel on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. will [...]
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.
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.
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 for the newsletter. Click here to sign up for the Reckon Women Facebook page. By Dachondra Cason “This is normal,” the manager assured me as [...]
‘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 more opportunities to get creative, said the group's executive director, Arekia Bennett. Bennett, a Jackson native who studied physics at Jackson State University, said the [...]
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 Bel Air swept to victory and became an iconic part of Black sports history. The 5,000 people in attendance that cold December day did not [...]
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 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 survival and comfort. But a Reckon investigation has found that the Alabama Department of Corrections pays most inmates nothing for the jobs they perform behind [...]
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.
Why I don’t regret going to a predominantly white college
LaKisha Cargill talks about how she thrived at a predominantly white college.
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.
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.
‘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 I was just a young lad of only 19. I took part in mid-Atlantic drug busts and humanitarian missions in West Africa, all while living [...]
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 under the weight of 90% humidity, and welling excitement for a freshman year are paired with the cunning wit and charm of student tour guides. [...]
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 summer veggies lining the shelves tucked away in a dark corner of her house. Preserving fresh garden vegetables and fruits for leaner months has long [...]
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 oversee its multi-platform digital expansion to serve millennials and Gen-Xers who live in the Deep South. Nave was editor-in-chief of Mississippi Today from May 2018 [...]
‘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.
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
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.
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?
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?
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.