Headlights: Voices from The Progressive South

Ep. 57: Covering Queer Kentucky

SYNOPSIS: All states have queer people, but not all states have a statewide news outlet dedicated to telling their stories. That makes QueerKentucky stand out. The nonprofit LGBTQ newsroom covers state politics and issues, as well as culture and health. This week's conversation is with Executive Director Missy Spears, who talks about trying to reach and reflect queer communities from Louisville to Paducah. Also: Auburn ditches its faculty senate, Georgia tries to turn Democrats "nonpartisan," and North Carolina sees a big health insurance decline. Plus, it's FestivalSouth time in Hattiesburg. SHOW NOTES: QueerKentucky [https://queerkentucky.com/] "Auburn Board Takes Full Curricular Control, Dissolves Faculty Senate" [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/trustees-regents/2026/06/05/auburn-board-takes-curricular-control-dissolves-senate] Inside Higher Ed "District attorney challenges new Georgia law that removes party labels in Atlanta-area elections" [https://apnews.com/article/georgia-district-attorney-elections-nonpartisan-republicans-kemp-9aeed6b014c27ae826533acef95805c6] Associated Press "Lost your ACA coverage in North Carolina? You're not alone" [https://nclocal.org/2026/05/26/affordable-care-act-enrollment-in-north-carolina/] NCLocal "More Texans have signed up for ACA health coverage despite expiring subsidies and falling national enrollment" [https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/13/texas-affordable-care-act-health-insurance-enrollment-record/] Texas Tribune CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org [jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org] (865) 214-7764

Ep. 56: Pride in Arkansas

SYNOPSIS: It's another fraught Pride Month in the South, where LGBTQ rights remain under attack from conservative lawmakers. This week we talk to Dolores Wilk of Central Arkansas Pride about their advocacy for the state's queer population, and the importance of visibility — including a Pride celebration right in front of the state Capitol Building. Also: The Supreme Court lets Alabama go back to marginalizing Black voters; the troubled history of a for-profit immigrant detention center in Louisiana; and Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger disappoints the state's cannabis industry. Plus, a look at gay Florida playwright Matthew Lopez, and a current production of his work in Jacksonville. SHOW NOTES: Central Arkansas Pride [https://www.arpride.org/] "Norman Jones" [https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/norman-jones-6511/] Encyclopedia of Arkansas "Supreme Court's Alabama redistricting ruling marks brazen reversal of its previous stance" [https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/supreme-courts-alabama-redistricting-ruling-marks-brazen-reversal-of-its-previous-stance/] Democracy Docket "Sanitation, use-of-force transparency lacking at Winnfield ICE facility, inspection finds" [https://lailluminator.com/2026/06/04/repub/winn-ice/] Louisiana Illuminator "Migrants detained at ICE facilities launch hunger strikes to protest conditions" [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/migrants-detained-ice-facilities-launch-hunger-strikes-protest-conditions] Stateline "My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard" [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/06/cca-private-prisons-corrections-corporation-inmates-investigation-bauer/] Shane Bauer, Mother Jones "ICE detention is growing in the South. This state was the first." [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/07/20/louisiana-ice-detention-immigration-border/84246870007/] USA Today "Record-Setting $7 Million Settlement Caps LaSalle's Legacy at Texarkana Jail" [https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2024/jan/1/record-setting-7-million-settlement-caps-lasalles-legacy-texarkana-jail/] Prison Legal News "Louisiana jury awards more than $40 million to family of man who died in privately-run jail" [https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-lasalle-jail-death-erie-moore-43d8141bf67542c6f2720c4468a7fbf0] Associated Press "Another year, another Va. retail cannabis market veto leaves businesses, the public with few options" [https://virginiamercury.com/2026/06/03/another-year-another-va-retail-cannabis-market-veto-leaves-businesses-the-public-with-few-options/] Virginia Mercury The Legend of Georgia McBride [https://the5anddime.org/s2026/the-legend-of-georgia-mcbride/] The 5 & Dime Theatre Co. CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org [jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org] (865) 214-7764

Ep. 55: The Young, Gifted, and Green

SYNOPSIS: LaTricea Adams learned about environmental racism first-hand, growing up in Memphis and seeing the differences between Black and white neighborhoods. She now leads Young, Gifted and Green, a nonprofit that trains young people in organizing and environmental justice. In this week's interview, she talks about how the water crisis in Flint, Mich., turned her into an activist — and how resistance to data centers across the country is creating new alliances across regions and races. Also: Right-wing redistricting momentum sputters in South Carolina and Alabama; what Ken Paxton's primary win means in Texas; and why New Orleans is tired of hearing about its impending doom. And in our arts and culture segment, we pay tribute to the great transgender fantasy artist and Atlanta native Jeffrey Catherine Jones. SHOW NOTES: Young, Gifted and Green [https://www.younggiftedgreen.org/] "Federal judges block Alabama's use of 2023 congressional map" [https://alabamareflector.com/2026/05/26/federal-judges-block-alabamas-use-of-2023-congressional-map/] Alabama Reflector "Effort to redraw SC voting lines fails amid record start to early voting" [https://scdailygazette.com/2026/05/26/effort-to-redraw-sc-voting-lines-ends-amid-record-start-to-early-voting/] South Carolina Daily Gazette "Tala-freak-o vs. Ken the Criminal: Texas candidates sharpen attacks as U.S. Senate race locks in" [https://www.texastribune.org/2026/05/27/james-talarico-ken-paxton-launch-attack-ads-in-texas-u-s-senate-race/] The Texas Tribune "Ken Paxton has amassed millions of dollars while in public office" [https://www.tpr.org/news/2025-10-10/ken-paxton-has-amassed-millions-of-dollars-while-in-public-office] Texas Public Radio "'Point of no return': New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level, study finds" [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/04/new-orleans-sea-levels-relocation-climate-crisis] The Guardian "Why The Guardian's new article about New Orleans feels like 'a modern day redlining of an entire city.'" [https://thelensnola.org/2026/05/06/new-orleans-climate-relocation-response/] The Lens "Mayor Helena Moreno: New Orleans is not in retreat, and that viral study doesn't tell our story" [https://www.nola.com/opinions/guest_columns/helena-moreno-tulane-study/article_5415425e-8e94-4319-a524-94a1dabe9ad3.html] NOLA.com ""Point of No Return?": A Conversation About Sea Level Rise and the Future of New Orleans" [https://thelensnola.org/2026/05/28/point-of-no-return-a-conversation-about-sea-level-rise-and-the-future-of-new-orleans/] The Lens "'Roots' Returns to School Libraries" [https://compassknox.com/2026/05/27/roots-returns-to-school-libraries/] Compass "Jeffrey Catherine Jones: An Appreciation" [https://darklongbox.com/2024/08/17/jeffrey-catherine-jones-an-appreciation/] Longbox of Darkness "Jeffrey Catherine Jones: A Life Lived Deeply" [https://www.tcj.com/jeffrey-catherine-jones-a-life-lived-deeply/] The Comics Journal CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org [jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org] (865) 214-7764

Ep. 54: The Leftists of Texas

SYNOPSIS: Texas conservatives like to cultivate an image of the state as a frontier of rugged individualism and unbridled capitalism. But it is also the land of the Cowboy Strike and the Texas People's Party, a contested terrain with an often overlooked history of radical politics. That's what writer and Austin native David Griscom brings to light in his new book, The Myth of Red Texas. This week, we talk to him about some of the stories he uncovered — and the lessons they provide for the state's present and future. Also: The latest on the post-Callais redistricting frenzy across the South; the federal prosecution of the Southern Poverty Law Center; and a Tennessee school system bans Alex Haley's Roots. Plus: Georgia artist Amy Sherald brings her exhibition American Sublime to Atlanta, after withdrawing it fro the politicized National Portrait Gallery. SHOW NOTES: The Myth of Red Texas [https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-myth-of-red-texas/] David Griscom David Griscom bio [https://davidgriscom.info/] "Supreme Court halts order for Alabama to use US House map with 2 largely Black districts" [https://apnews.com/article/alabama-redistricting-supreme-court-congress-ba371351585b79c2965f9efb0332f33d] Associated Press "Tuberville casts doubt on Alabama redistricting" [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5886033-tommy-tuberville-alabama-redistricting/] The Hill "US Supreme Court Reverses Mississippi Redistricting Order That Led to End of GOP Supermajority" [https://www.mississippifreepress.org/us-supreme-court-reverses-mississippi-redistricting-order-that-led-to-end-of-gop-supermajority/] Mississippi Free Press "South Carolina governor calls for a special session on redistricting" [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/south-carolina-governor-mcmaster-calls-special-session-redistricting-rcna345104] NBC News "South Carolina House backs congressional map favoring GOP but bill faces a more skeptical Senate" [https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-congress-voting-rights-trump-20660140099f1adf6d9b446ace6d47ed] Associated Press "Federal Grand Jury Charges Southern Poverty Law Center for Wire Fraud, False Statements, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering" [https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-grand-jury-charges-southern-poverty-law-center-wire-fraud-false-statements-and] U.S. Department of Justice "Headlights, Episode 8: Watering the Roots" [https://sites.libsyn.com/576820/ep-8-watering-the-roots] "SPLC Files Motions Arguing Trump Administration Officials Made False Statements Related to Informant Program" [https://www.splcenter.org/presscenter/splc-motions-grand-jury-informant-program/] Southern Poverty Law Center "The Politically Motivated Indictment of Southern Poverty Law Center" [https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-politically-motivated-indictment-of-southern-poverty-law-center] Lawfare "Tennessee school district bans Alex Haley's Roots under 2022 state law" [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/15/tennessee-book-ban-alex-haley-roots] The Guardian "Amy Sherald: American Sublime" [https://high.org/exhibition/amy-sherald-american-sublime/] High Museum of Art "Amy Sherald Cancels Her Smithsonian Show, Citing Censorship" [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/arts/design/amy-sherald-smithsonian-censorship.html] The New York Times CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org [jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org] (865) 214-7764

Ep. 53: The Memphis Massacre

SYNOPSIS: When the all-white Republican supermajority in the Tennessee Legislature carved up Memphis into three congressional districts during the first week of May, they insisted that race had nothing to do with it. But when it comes to Memphis, race always matters. This week, we listen to the voices raised in protest during Tennessee's rapid-fire special session, and put them in the context of the long and often ugly history of the state's treatment of its largest Black-majority city. From violence by white mobs after the Civil War to the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. to the ongoing occupation of city streets by National Guard troops, Memphis has always been on the front lines of attempts to build Black political power — and to knock it down. SHOW NOTES: "Tennessee redistricting debate marked by fiery oratory about Black struggles for voting rights" [https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/05/08/tennessee-redistricting-debate-marked-by-fiery-oratory-about-black-struggles-for-voting-rights/] Tennessee Lookout "Tennessee lawmakers vote to replace failed Achievement School District turnaround program" [https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2025/04/22/asd-shutdown-vote-new-intervention-model-tennessee-house/] Chalkbeat Tennessee "Tennessee House passes Shelby County district attorney removal bill" [https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/04/16/tennessee-house-passes-shelby-county-district-attorney-removal-bill/] Tennessee Lookout "Students on Tennessee vouchers are underperforming, state audit finds" [https://wpln.org/post/students-on-tennessee-vouchers-are-underperforming-state-audit-finds/] WPLN "How a large-scale effort to register black voters led to a crackdown in Tennessee" [https://archive.ph/tUn6l] The Washington Post The Equity Alliance [https://theequityalliance.org/] People's Grocery lynchings [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Grocery_lynchings] Wikipedia CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org [jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org] (865) 214-7764