Due South

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Bennett College, one of only two women’s HBCUs, celebrates its centennial

Leoneda Inge talks to Dr. Teresa Hardee, interim president of Bennett College about the current state and future intentions of the country’s only women’s HBCUs, as it celebrates its centennial anniversary.

Dr. Teresa Hardee, interim president, Bennett College

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Duke University Press marks centennial with exhibition, commemorative reprint

Leoneda Inge sits down with Dean Smith, director of Duke University Press, to discuss its legacy as a cutting-edge, progressive academic press and its 100thanniversary celebrations.

Dean Smith, director, Duke University Press

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Andrew Bird’s 20thanniversary album tour makes its way to Greensboro

Grammy-nominated folk musician Andrew Bird is embarking on a symphony tour in celebration of the 20thanniversary of his third solo album, Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs. The tour will bring him to the Greensboro Symphony on May 31. He talks about his decades-long career in music and what it’s like to revisit one of his earliest solo works.

Andrew Bird, singer, songwriter, musician

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May 20, 1775, is a date you may recognize from the North Carolina state flag. It represents what was supposedly the first declaration of independence made by any of the 13 colonies involved in the American Revolution. That date was added more than a century ago, but its authenticity was first contested by Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. This conversation originally aired on May 20, 2025.

Scott Syfert, author of ‘The First Declaration of Independence? The Disputed History of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775'

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As the United States turns 250 years old, a new book of poetry pays tribute to Black historical figures across the country and the centuries. Poet and professor Joshua Bennett talks with Due South’s Leoneda Inge about his poem “Chapel Hill, North Carolina” for George Moses Horton, the first African American man to publish a book in the South.

Joshua Bennett, Professor of Literature and Distinguished Chair of the Humanities at MIT and writer of the new poetry collection "We (The People of The United States)"

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An educator and oral historian with the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources talk about "America 250 NC" and their project about “New Americans in North Carolina.”

Alana Gomez, Educator, America 250 NC, N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources

John Horan, Oral Historian, State Archives of North Carolina, N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources

Live from the Outer Banks... 

A budget deal has been reached — will it actually end North Carolina’s stint as the only state without an approved budget? 

Then, a turn toward the coast — from tourism and infrastructure to beach renourishment and climate change, we check in with three local reporters about the stories that dominate the headlines on the OBX.

Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC News

Sam Walker, Editor-In-Chief, SamWalkerOBXNews.com and News Director, 99.1 The Sound

Corinne Saunders, Editor, Outer Banks Insider

Joy Crist, Editor, Island Free Press

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North Carolina’s 55 prisons are operating at minimum staffing, in a steep funding deficit. The state’s Department of Adult Correction is in need of an updated budget that accounts for the growing and aging prison population. WUNC News’ Colin Campbell updates Due South on the current state of the carceral system. This Due South encore conversation originally aired April 15, 2026. 

Colin Campbell, Capital Bureau Chief, WUNC News

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Kerwin Pittman spent more than 11 years in the North Carolina prison system. With the support of family, he was able to navigate the re-entry process upon his release, becoming a recidivism reduction activist in the process. 

Eight years after his release, Pittman has become the first formerly incarcerated person in the United States to purchase a prison campus. This Due South encore conversation originally aired April 15, 2026. 

Kerwin Pittman, founder of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services, Inc.

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Ear Hustle is the first podcast produced in prison. It’s brought stories from life inside to international audiences. It’s been a finalist for two Pulitzer Prizes. 

Jeff Tiberii talks with the creators, Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor. This Due South encore conversation originally aired August 6, 2025.

Earlonne Woods, co-host of the Ear Hustle Podcast, which he started while serving 31 years to life at San Quentin State Prison in 2017

Nigel Poor, visual artist and co-host of Ear Hustle

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North Carolina farmers are dealing with an array of challenges from an ongoing drought to federal policy decisions impacting the agriculture industry. Jeff Tiberii talks with reporter Phoebe Zerwick about her piece Farming is in crisis for the newsletter ‘Down from DC.’

Phoebe Zerwick, co-author, Down from DC

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An update on the future of the Dean Dome, which has faced considerable pushback from the Carolina basketball family. Jeff Tiberii talks with two local reporters who have been following the developments closely.

Korie Dean, higher education reporter at The Assembly

Brendan Marks, reporter at The Athletic

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Gerrymandering is not new. Though, in the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision, it might be getting worse. Jeff Tiberii talks with Billy Ball, a writer for progressive news site Cardinal & Pine, about gerrymandering and its impacts in Virginia and the South.

Billy Ball, founder, TheLivingSouth.com and senior editor, Cardinal & Pine

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After incentives for the film industry dried up in NC, many productions took their work to Atlanta. But the director of the North Carolina Film Office says there’s still an industry here, and a storied history of filmmaking.

Guy Gaster, Director of the North Carolina Film Office, which promotes the state to possible productions and studios

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 Yusuf Salim trio. (1420x1110, AR: 1.2792792792792793)

Moonchild: The Life and Music of Yusuf Salim follows the jazz pianist and composer through six decades in the music world. From Philadelphia to North Carolina.

It has a focus on Durham, which the film’s director calls Salim’s ‘chosen hometown.’ And includes footage from Salim's show on PBS NC "Yusuf and Friends."

Kenny Dalsheimer, Director of Moonchild: The Life and Music of Yusuf Salim, documentary filmmaker and editor who’s been making films since 1996

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The co-owners of an independent film studio in Durham called Shadow Box Studio are making film, but they’re working to open a small cinema, too. 

Leoneda Inge speaks with the duo about their inspiration, their work, and their hopes for Durham’s film scene.

Jim Haverkamp, proprietor of Shadowbox Studio in Durham, and a freelance editor and filmmaker

Alex Maness, proprietor of Shadowbox Studio in Durham and a photographer, filmmaker, and projection designer

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“Infrastructure” is one of those public policy words that gets thrown around a lot — and for many of us, it doesn’t mean much beyond “roads and bridges.” But, as Cotten Seiler explains, infrastructure is about much more than concrete. It’s about the goods and services that support our communities.

Seiler’s new book “White Care: The Impact of Race on American Infrastructure” explores how infrastructure was deliberately diminished over decades in the 20th century to keep certain groups from accessing it.

Cotten Seiler, Professor of American Studies at Dickinson College and Resident Associate at the National Humanities Center in Durham

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Border Belt Independent reporter Ben Rappaport talks with Due South co-host Leoneda Inge about a story he reported in partnership with The Assembly called “The Abandoned Pools of Columbus County.” It’s a story of economics, rural decay and racism. (This encore interview originally aired September 3, 2024.)

Ben Rappaport, reporter, Border Belt Independent

On this week’s North Carolina News Roundup...

The state legislature has reached a bustling pitch – considering a moratorium on some tax changes, making confidential NIL agreements, and a social media ban for some teens.

A potential major healthcare merger is on the table in the Triangle. One North Carolina congressman is under investigation. And Charlotte’s mayor will soon step down.

Due South host Jeff Tiberii and a panel of local journalists provide context and analysis from those and other stories from the week.

Laura Leslie, editor, NC Newsline

Claudia Rivera Cotto, state political reporter, Enlace Latino NC

Bryan Anderson, NC politics reporter, The Assembly

Ely Portillo, executive editor, WFAE in Charlotte

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North Carolina was once an emerging national leader on the solar power front. But disincentives, policy changes and a hold on new projects have changed the solar power landscape. A conversation about energy costs and possible solutions for the future.

Liz McLaughlin, climate change reporter, WRAL

Matt Abele, Executive Director, NC Sustainable Energy Association

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Residential solar panels are becoming more common on rooftops in North Carolina. But they are still a big financial stretch for most people. Leoneda Inge talks with a couple who got panels installed several years ago about how they look back on their decision. And, the president of a local solar panel company joins the conversation to talk credits, incentives, and the nuts and bolts of home solar power systems.

Dan and Saritha Vermeer, residential solar panel customers

Karl Stupka, President and Chief Operations Officer, NC Solar Now

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Due South's Leoneda Inge chats with a family therapist, who offers advice and recommendations for navigating grief and loss around the holiday. (This Due South encore conversation originally aired May 9, 2024.)

Dr. Kristen Wynns, founder and owner of Wynns Family Psychology and author of The No Wimpy Parenting Handbook

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Even under the best circumstances, parenting can be stressful. So, when natural disasters upend a community’s sense of safety, security, and routine, the impact on families can be particularly profound. (This Due South encore conversation originally aired May 7, 2025.)

Gray Chapman, writer based in Atlanta

Erin Brethauer, director, cinematographer and photographer based in Asheville

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Moms Mabley was born in Brevard, NC in 1897. By the mid-20th century, she was one of the biggest names in standup comedy. 

But her hometown has been slow to publicly recognize her historic career achievements. The tides of recognition seem to be slowly turning now. (This Due South encore conversation originally aired May 9, 2024.)

Lisa Rab, freelance investigative journalist and author of the maternal health newsletter, Overdue