Ashley Ward, director of Duke University's Heat Policy Innovation Hub, joins us to talk about protection from extreme summer temperatures. Ruth Pointer of the legendary soul group, The Pointer Sisters, chats about her storied career. Two local ice treat shops, Simons Says Dip This and Locopops, discuss the history of their businesses and their exclusive summer menu options.

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Fewer than half of Asian Americans have been contacted by either political party… even though they are the fastest-growing electorate in the U.S. 

Plus, Heidi Kim on leading students through a tumultuous year at UNC *encore edition.

Guests

Eli Chen, digital news producer, WUNC 

Steve Rao, At-Large Council Member, Morrisville Town Council 

Chavi Khanna Koneru, co-founder and Executive Director of North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) 

Heidi Kim, director of the Asian American Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she is a professor of English and Comparative Literature

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Carolina Beach ocean rescue captain Shawn Kelly tells co-host Jeff Tiberii about how rip currents form and why they can be so dangerous. 

Professor Joel Fodrie tells co-host Leoneda Inge about the rich underwater world that sharks inhabit off our shores, and how to reduce the already low chances of a human-shark encounter.

Johanna F. Still of The Assembly dives deep into the world of the Shibumi, from its origin story on Emerald Isle to those who love, and those who don't love, the seemingly ubiquitous sunshade.

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Part One: Booker T. Spicely Marker
On July 8th, 1944, Booker T. Spicely, a U.S. Army private on active duty, was killed in Durham, North Carolina in an act of racial violence. On the 80th anniversary of his passing, we're resharing a story that originally aired in December 2023 covering the unveiling of a historical marker in Spicely's honor.
 James Williams, attorney, retired public defender, leader of a committee that documented Spicely’s story and advocated for a marker

Part Two: The Story of Civil Rights Organizer Mollie Moon
Host Leoneda Inge talks to historian and author Tanisha C. Ford about her latest book, “Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement.” Moon was a prominent organizer for civil rights causes in the mid-20th century. She was also the subject of much gossip and speculation over the course of her career.
Tanisha C. Ford, historian, and author of “Our Secret Society”

Part Three: On Black Wall Street, Ella West Gallery is a beacon of artistic light
Ella West Gallery is the latest business to revitalize the historic Black Wall Street in downtown Durham. Owner Linda Shropshire joins Leoneda Inge to discuss the legacy of Black business ownership on Black Wall Street.
Linda Shropshire, owner of Ella West Gallery

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Hey Due South listeners! We just wanted to give you a heads-up in case you’re expecting a few new episodes from us this week. You might’ve heard on our episode Monday – the rest of this week WUNC is broadcasting a special series by our friend Roy Wood Jr., and NPR, it’s called Road To Rickwood and it’s about Civil Rights, baseball, and Birmingham, Alabama.

And if you haven’t ‘met’ Roy Wood Jr. yet, I’d recommend you go back and listen to Monday’s episode. He’s a comedian, and Alabama native, and he even played at Rickwood field as a child.

Take a listen to all episodes of Road To Rickwood here. 

We’ll have new episodes for you just like normal starting back on Monday July 8th.

Thanks for listening.

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Comedian Roy Wood Jr. takes a break from stand up to sit down with historians and former Negro League players in the new NPR podcast "Road to Rickwood."

Co-host Leoneda Inge talks with Chris Holaday, author of Cracks in the Outfield Wall: The History of Baseball Integration in the Carolinas.

Minor league pitcher Devin Sweet recently had a brush with the majors at a time when only six percent of Major League Baseball players are Black. He talks with co-host Leoneda Inge about his father's efforts to build a baseball community for him and other Black kids in their Greensboro neighborhood.

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This week's top news, how political parties are trying to win over Black voters, and an update on the state's large and small businesses.

Guests:

-Colin Campbel, WUNC’s Capitol Bureau Chief

-Danielle Battaglia, the D.C. correspondent for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer 

-Jarvis Hall, an associate professor of political science at North Carolina Central University

-Katie Peralta Soloff, editor at Axios Charlotte & Axios Raleigh

-Brian Gordon, is the Technology & Innovation reporter for The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun 

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Due South checks in with WABE political reporter Sam Gringlas about what the first presidential debate in Atlanta could mean for Georgia, the South, and the country.

Then, black bear sightings are up in North Carolina, including in cities and in suburban backyards. Colleen Olfenbuttel of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission joins us to talk about where you might find black bears this summer and what to do if you encounter one.

And, a light-hearted take on the serious topic of pay inequity. Salary Transparent Street's Hannah Williams breaks taboos by asking strangers how much money they make. She tells Due South all about what happens when people open up about pay.

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A cardiologist breaks down the data. Plus, members of local chapters of Black Men Run, Black Girls Run and Latinos Run join co-host Jeff Tiberii to talk about finding welcoming communities to explore the challenges and joys of running — together.

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This hour originally released on April 15, 2024.

2024 is shaping up to be quite the interesting year in country music.

The release of Beyonce's Cowboy Carter on March 29 shook up the industry when one of her lead singles, "Texas Hold 'Em," shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Hot Country Songs chart, making the chanteuse the first Black woman to top the country chart in Billboard history.

Little more than a week later, acclaimed author Alice Randall released her memoir, My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present and Future. In it, she chronicles her early life and career as a country music enthusiast, songwriter and producer in Nashville. Her story is told against the backdrop of other Black country artists making their way through an overwhelmingly white industry.

Co-host Leoneda Inge chats with Randall, who joined us from Nashville Public Radio's studios, about her life, her memoir and the compilation album that accompanies it, My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall.

Later, two artists featured on that album stop by our WUNC studios to chat with Leoneda Inge.

Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and musician Rhiannon Giddens talks about her personal experiences with country music audiences and her involvement on Beyonce's single, "Texas Hold 'Em."

Singer-songwriter Rissi Palmer weighs in on what it was like to be a "traditional" country music artist in her early career, including being the first Black woman in 20 years to make the country charts with her 2007 single, "Country Girl." The host and creator of the Apple Music podcast, "Color Me Country," also discusses what it has been like preserving and amplifying the little-known histories of Black artists in the country music industry.

Palmer is currently curating a monthly music series at The Carolina Theatre. Her upcoming show featuring Gabe Lee will be held on April 25.

Guests

Rhiannon Giddens, singer, musician and historian

Rissi Palmer, singer-songwriter and host of Apple Music's Color Me Country

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