On Second Thought

In South Georgia’s Wiregrass Country, a plaque in the town of Quitman marks a hanging place. It’s where, in August of 1864, four men were executed for plotting a slave rebellion. Over the next century, mob violence against African-Americans often erupted in South Georgia. This is where our Senior Editor Don Smith was born and raised. He moved away in 1958. Don recently went back to his hometown to mark the anniversary of the Civil War hanging, and talk with longtime residents about how they

Ayyyy! Henry Winkler is coming to Georgia this week for the Decatur Book Festival. He’s the co-creator of a popular children’s book series that centers on Hank Zipzer, a young boy with learning difficulties. Henry Winkler joined us to talk about his life and writing. Regina Bradley, writer and hip-hop scholar, is author of the recently released “Boondock Kollage: New Stories from the Contemporary Black South.” The collection offers 12 short stories chronicling Southern life in the post-civil

The American economy has seen more volatility under the Trump administration than any other recent president. It remains to be seen what kind of long-term effects Trump’s presidency will have on the job market in Georgia, and the global economic landscape. We talk business with Marilyn Geewax, Senior Business Editor and Economics Correspondent for NPR.

Among the legendary music acts to come out of Athens in the ‘70s and '80s was the band Pylon . The group had been a local mainstay until 2009, when guitarist Randall Bewley passed away. But singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay recently revived the band into the newly formed Pylon Reenactment Society . They have a new EP, called “Part Time Punks Session,” coming out this fall. We talk with Vanessa Briscoe Hay and drummer Joe Rowe about the new music.

Among the legendary music acts to come out of Athens in the ‘70s was the band Pylon. The group had been a local mainstay until 2009, when guitarist Randall Bewley passed away. But singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay recently revived the band into the newly formed Pylon Reenactment Society. They have a new EP, called “Part Time Punks Session,” coming out this fall. We talk with Vanessa Briscoe Hay and drummer Joe Rowe about the new music. Pylon Reenactment Society vocalist Vanessa Briscoe Hay returns to

Following the recent events in Charlottesville, a national debate has been raging over what should be done with Confederate symbols across the South. In Athens, and across Georgia, many monuments and markers dedicated to Confederate soldiers persist in daily life . We talk about how to reckon with these, with Valerie Babb, Director of the Institute for African-American Studies at the University of Georgia. Also joining us are Knowa Johnson, Co-Founder of the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement,

In the Jim Crow South, the laws of the land separated black and white. As racial tensions grew, some police departments added African-American officers to their squads. Atlanta hired eight men in 1948, but their authority was greatly restricted. These officers inspired Thomas Mullen ’s first novel, “ Darktown .” We talked with him about his follow-up work, “ Lightning Men ,” ahead of an appearance at the Decatur Book Festival this weekend .

Southern food has a history as rich as its taste. Whether it's red beans and rice, fried chicken, biscuits or potlikker, the history of Southern food stretches from slave plantations, to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, to our own kitchens today. We talk about the origins of our favorite Southern dishes with culinary historian John T. Edge of the Southern Foodways Alliance. He is the author of the new book, “The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South.” We continue our conversation with

Three years ago, Ferguson, Missouri, exploded into national headlines when an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by the police. Protests erupted in many cities, including Atlanta. Now, Charlottesville is the latest example of the nation’s heightened racial tensions and growing white supremacy groups. We talked with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wesley Lowery , who covers race and justice for The Washington Post. He's author of the book, “ They Can’t Kill Us All:

When Donald Trump addressed the tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia, he said there was bad behavior on both sides . Many people then accused the president of false equivalence . That phrase has come up a lot in the past couple years, whether we’re talking about Nazis or Benghazi or emails or Black Lives Matter. False equivalence is a phrase that’s used all the time, but not fully understood by many people. We got help breaking it down from Ed Lee , executive director of Barkley Forum for