Our New South

Our New South - Season 3 - Episode 10 - Eddie Glaude, Jr.: Mississippi and America's Soul

Scholar, author, and Princeton University professor Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. joins Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II on this episode of Our New South to explore the region as a moral metaphor for the United States. Glaude shares stories of his hardworking parents, the pivotal role Morehouse College played in his intellectual journey, and how writing about James Baldwin forced him to finally reckon with his own complex relationship to the South. Glaude is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University and a familiar face as a regular contributor on MSNBC's Morning Joe. He is the bestselling author of several essential texts, including Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and his latest call to action, We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For. He also serves on the board of Deep South Today, a non-profit network of local newsrooms dedicated to preserving investigative journalism in his home state and beyond. Links: Read Dr. Glaude's book We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674737600 Read Dr. Glaude's book Begin Again: James Baldwin's America: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/575725/begin-again-by-eddie-s-glaude-jr/ Learn more about Deep South Today: https://deepsouthtoday.org/ Donate to support this podcast! https://museumofthenewsouth.kindful.com/ Learn more about Levine Museum of the New South: https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Our New South - Season 3 - Episode 9 - Doug Jones: Courage and Democracy

Former Senator Doug Jones joins Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II for a special live event hosted by Levine Museum of the New South, where he reflects on prosecuting the 16th Street Baptist Church bombers, his historic 2017 Senate victory, and his vision for an Alabama that resembles a "crowded table" where everyone belongs. Recorded in front of a live audience at the historic Carolina Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina, this conversation explores how the experience of growing up in a segregated steel town near Birmingham shaped Doug Jones, his political ambitions and eventual pursuit of justice. He also discusses the importance of bipartisanship and why he defines the "New South" not by its skyscrapers, but by the courageous, post-Jim Crow leaders who reached across racial lines. Currently running for governor of Alabama, Jones is the author of Bending Toward Justice, a book about his time as a lawyer and prosecutor. As U.S. Attorney, he famously prosecuted Eric Rudolph, the Centennial Olympic bomber, as well as the two Ku Klux Klan members responsible for the tragic 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. He also served as a U.S. Senator and remains the last Democrat to win a statewide office in Alabama. In that role, he demonstrated a profound commitment to bipartisanship by successfully passing over two dozen pieces of legislation into law with Republican co-sponsors. Sharing his ongoing fight for equality and voting rights, he urges younger generations to get out of their political corners. Links Learn more about Doug Jones: https://www.dougjones.com/ Purchase Doug Jones' Memoir "Bending Toward Justice": https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250316462/bendingtowardjustice/ Donate to support this podcast! https://museumofthenewsouth.kindful.com/ Learn more about Levine Museum of the New South: https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Our New South - Season 3 - Episode 8 - Sara Bradley: Top Chef, Local Table

Chef Sara Bradley joins Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II to discuss how her upbringing in Paducah, Kentucky, a cultural crossroads at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers, shaped her unique approach to Southern cuisine. Bradley shares stories of growing up in a fusion of cultures, blending her mother's Eastern European Jewish heritage with her father's Appalachian roots, as well as her choice to return to "small-town" Paducah to invest in her local community. Bradley is the owner and head chef of Freight House, a seasonal restaurant in Paducah, and a James Beard Award semi-finalist. Widely recognized for her television appearances, she represented Kentucky on Bravo's Top Chef and won the Food Network's Chopped: Legends tournament. Beyond the kitchen, Bradley is deeply involved in community service and ecosystem ethics, partnering with local farmers to create sustainable supply chains, fighting food insecurity alongside organizations like the Lee Initiative, and utilizing invasive species like silver carp to protect local waterways. Links: Learn more about Sara Bradley: https://chefsarabradley.com/ Visit Frieght House in Paducah, Kentucky: https://freighthousefood.com/ Donate to support this podcast! https://museumofthenewsouth.kindful.com/ Learn more about Levine Museum of the New South: https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Our New South - Season 3 - Episode 7 - Gina Chavez: Music and Belonging

Gina Chavez joins Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II to discuss how growing up in the eclectic musical hub of Austin, Texas, shaped her genre-bending sound and her perspective on the "New South." Chavez reflects on her journey as a Latin American who connected deeply with her roots through music and instrumentation. She also shares her experiences reconciling her queer identity with her Catholic upbringing, arguing that true belonging comes from embracing all parts of oneself. Gina is a Latin Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter whose music intentionally blends English and Spanish with influences ranging from folk to Nueva Trova. She co-founded the Niñas Arriba College Fund, an organization that provides full college scholarships, housing, and paid internships to young women in El Salvador. Learn more about Gina Chavez: https://www.ginachavez.com/ Donate to the Niñas Arriba College Fund: https://www.ninasarriba.org/ Donate to support this podcast! https://museumofthenewsouth.kindful.com/ Learn more about Levine Museum of the New South: https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Our New South - Season 3 - Episode 6 - Michael Twitty: Ingredients and Traditions

Michael Twitty joins Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II to dismantle binary definitions of Southern identity. Twitty explores the intersection of his African American and Jewish heritage, describing how he blends Seder plates with soul food in what he calls "Kosher Soul". He also discusses the impact of the Great Migration on American culture, and shares why he views recipes as a blueprint for cultural sovereignty. Twitty is a renowned culinary historian, living history interpreter, and the James Beard Award-winning author of The Cooking Gene. His other works include Rice, Kosher Soul, and his latest release, Recipes from the American South. A creator of the blog Afroculinaria, Twitty is dedicated to preserving African American foodways and currently collaborates with Colonial Williamsburg on the Sankofa Heritage Garden to restore ancestral agricultural practices. Links: Learn more about Michael Twitty and Afroculinaria: https://afroculinaria.com/ Check out Michael Twitty's latest book, Recipes from the American South: https://www.phaidon.com/en-us/products/recipes-from-the-american-south Donate to support this podcast! https://museumofthenewsouth.kindful.com/ Learn more about Levine Museum of the New South: https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]