Headlights: Voices from The Progressive South

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

Ep. 52: Inside the Evangelical Right

SYNOPSIS: The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in the Callais case is likely to lead to a major loss of Black representation across the South. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry immediately suspended the state's pending congressional primaries to redraw its maps. Other Republican officials in states including Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia are calling for reducing or eliminating their Black-majority districts. This week we look at the ruling and its implications. Our interview is with South Carolina writer Rick Pidcock, who grew up in the conservative evangelical movement and has become an astute observer and critic of it. As a columnist for Baptist News, he has been raising alarms about the ongoing growth of Christian nationalism. Plus: A look at this weekend's inaugural Latido Festival in San Antonio, a celebration of Tex-Mex music and culture. SHOW NOTES: "Exiles in Christendom" [https://rickpidcock.substack.com/] Rick Pidcock "The Supreme Court has all but killed the law that helped kill Jim Crow" [https://www.ms.now/opinion/louisiana-callais-voting-rights-act-supreme-court-black-voters] Stacey Abrams, MS NOW "Statement on SCOTUS Decision in Louisiana v. Callais" [https://figures.house.gov/media/press-releases/figures-statement-scotus-decision-louisiana-v-callais] U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures "Virginia voters back redistricting amendment after months of legal and political battles" [https://virginiamercury.com/2026/04/21/virginia-voters-back-redistricting-amendment-after-months-of-legal-and-political-battles/] Virginia Mercury "'Rigging a system:' Legal challenges expected, advocacy groups respond to redistricting approval" [https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/04/29/rigging-a-system-legal-challenges-expected-advocacy-groups-respond-to-redistricting-approval/] Florida Phoenix "Louisiana governor postpones U.S. House primary elections after Supreme Court ruling" [https://lailluminator.com/2026/04/30/louisiana-governor-ag-says-they-will-postpone-u-s-house-primaries-following-callais-decision/] Louisiana Illuminator "TN GOP discussing eliminating the state's only Democratic-held U.S. House seat" [https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/04/30/tn-gop-discussing-eliminating-the-states-only-democratic-held-u-s-house-seat/] Tennessee Lookout "Mississippi Official Calls to Eliminate State's Only Majority Black House District After Voting Rights Ruling" [https://www.mississippifreepress.org/mississippi-official-calls-to-eliminate-states-only-majority-black-house-district-after-voting-rights-ruling/] Mississippi Free Press The Latido Festival San Antonio [https://www.latidofest.com/market/san-antonio/] "The Evolution of Música Norteña: A Cultural Journey" [https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/musica-nortena] Texas State Historical Association CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org [jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org] (865) 214-7764

Ep. 51: The Trans Panic Continues

SYNOPSIS: Another year, another cluster of hateful anti-transgender bills proposed in our state legislatures. This week, we round up some of the worst laws passed this spring in Southern states to further bully and harass trans people. In states like Tennessee and Georgia, this year's bills are no longer only aiming at issues like sports and bathroom access, but are aiming directly at the presence — or even the mention — of trans people altogether. In happier news, we also check in on this weekend's Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival in Louisiana. SHOW NOTES: Trans Legislation Tracker [https://translegislation.com/] translegislation.com "Tennessee Republicans advance flurry of bills to make life unlivable for transgender people" [https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/tennessee-republicans-transgender-attacks] The Advocate "Mississippi lawmakers pass bill changing driver's license gender identification requirements" [https://www.wapt.com/article/mississippi-lawmakers-pass-bill-changing-drivers-license-gender-identification-requirements/70980614] WAPT Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival [https://bbcrawfest.com/] "Crawfish, Cajuns, and Native Americans: The History of Crawfish Season in South Louisiana" [https://kpel965.com/crawfish-cajuns-history-louisiana/] KPEL CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org [jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org] (865) 214-7764

Ep. 50: The Legacy of Nonviolence

SYNOPSIS: Nonviolent resistance was the core strategy of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and '60s, and its chief architect alongside Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was another pastor, Rev. James Lawson Jr. Like King, he studied the success of Gandhi's anti-colonial resistance in India, and he answered King's call to teach its precepts to thousands of young African-Americans in the South. Lawson died in 2024, but a new memoir — Nonviolent — gives vivid dimension to his life and his ideals. This week, we talk to the book's co-author, writer and journalist Emily Yellin, who knew Lawson for most of her life and worked closely with him on the text. She says Lawson never stopped fighting for justice, over the years taking on causes including the rights of women, LGBTQ people, and Palestinians, among others. Also: We look Elon Musk's expanding corporate footprint across the South — a Tesla factory is draining Austin's drought-depleted aquifer, xAI data centers in Mississippi and Memphis are threatening the local air and water, and his Boring Company is punching a hole in Nashville's limestone despite the opposition of local residents. Plus, a preview of this weekend's MerleFest celebration of roots music in Wilkesboro, N.C. SHOW NOTES: Nonviolent: A Memoir of Resistance, Agitation, and Love [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/721804/nonviolent-by-reverend-james-lawson-jr-and-emily-yellin/] Rev. James Lawson Jr. and Emily Yellin 1,300 Men: Memphis Strike '68 [https://vimeo.com/showcase/6303527] "Tesla's Gigafactory water use surges in Austin as new chip plant looms" [https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/14/tesla-austin-water-usage/] Texas Tribune "New Aquifer leader talks future of district and Stage 4 drought" [https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/new-aquifer-leader-talks-future-of-district-and-stage-4-drought/] KXAN, Austin "Water plan killed at Elon Musk's massive Memphis data center, billions of gallons now needed" [https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/water-plan-killed-elon-musks-070000770.html] The Cool Down "'A different set of rules': Thermal drone footage shows Musk's AI power plant flouting clean air regulations" [https://floodlightnews.org/thermal-drone-footage-musk-ai-plant-epa-rules/] Floodlight "NAACP Sues xAI for Illegal Pollution from Data Center Power Plant" [https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/xai-sued-for-illegal-power-plant] Earthjustice Music City Loop [https://www.boringcompany.com/music-city-loop] The Boring Company "How TN Republican lawmakers insulated Musk's Boring Company tunnel in Nashville from local officials" [https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/04/16/how-tn-republican-lawmakers-insulated-musks-boring-company-tunnel-in-nashville-from-local-officials/] Tennessee Lookout MerleFest [https://merlefest.org/] CONTACT: Jesse Mayshark jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org [jmayshark@theprogressivesouth.org]