On Second Thought

We hope you heard our broadcast from the Historic Douglass Theatre. We celebrated Macon’s musical talent with a live audience. Our opening act was the current generation of that talent – teens who completed this year’s Otis Music Camp for young musicians. Listen to the highlights on this post, or see the whole performance here .

A few months ago after much debate, a Civil War monument of Robert E. Lee was removed from downtown New Orleans . Support for the public display of Confederate symbols in public often goes back to Southern Pride, but a new study about these symbols raises questions about how much Confederate enthusiasts known about the Confederacy. We talked about the role of historians in explaining the Civil War with historian Kevin Levin and Daina Ramey Berry , a professor of History and African Diaspora

The Georgia House of Representatives had more uncontested seats in the last election cycle than any legislative chamber in the nation. Nearly all incumbents retained their seats. Only 31 of the 180 House seats featured candidates from both parties—leaving 83 percent of all seats uncontested. Andra Gillespie weighs in on why incumbents rule in Georgia. She’s a Political Science Professor at Emory University. And we also speak with Greg Bluestein, Political Reporter for the Atlanta Journal

Macon, Georgia has a rich heritage, once home to great musicians like The Allman Brothers, Little Richard, and Otis Redding. The Douglass Theatre in Macon helped to launch the career of Redding and countless other musicians of color. In celebration on Bragg Jam , "On Second Thought" taps into that history, joined at the Douglass by local guests making strides in Macon.

All this week we get additions to the essential Georgia Playlist from musicians playing at Bragg Jam in Macon this weekend, July 28-29. The series is produced by GPB’s Trevor Young. Today’s picks come from Vanessa Briscoe Hay, former frontwoman for the legendary Athens band Pylon . She’s now singing with the Pylon Reenactment Society , who perform at Bragg Jam on Saturday at Fresh Produce Records at 9:30p.m. She brings us music from The Brains and the Classics IV.

A debate is going on over the operation of immigration detention centers. Georgia’s Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin is one of the largest in the country. It is run by a private company. There are many like it. Critics say those private facilities are problematic. Last year, a Homeland Security Advisory Council said they should be phased out. However, a separate subcommittee wants to continue using private immigrant detention facilities, but that committee wants greater oversight. We talk

A recent report puts Georgia 41st in the nation for its quality of senior health. According to America’s Health Rankings Senior Report, that’s two slots lower than last year. We talk about senior health in the state with Kathy Floyd of the Georgia Council on Aging and Glenn Osster of the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Georgia.

First, a recent report puts Georgia 41st in the nation for its quality of senior health. According to America’s Health Rankings Senior Report, that’s two slots lower than last year. We talk about senior health in the state with Kathy Floyd of the Georgia Council on Aging and Glenn Osster of the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Georgia. Next, a debate is going on over the operation of immigration detention centers. Georgia’s Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin is one of the largest

Atlanta band Manchester Orchestra has been going strong since 2004, having performed at big festivals like Shaky Knees, Lollapalooza, and Bonnaroo. But the band reached a new peak in fame after scoring the 2016 cult film “Swiss Army Man” with Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano.

This Thursday, July 27, we take our show on the road to the historic Douglass Theatre in downtown Macon. This theater was an important space during the 20th century for African-American artists. The Douglass hosted performers like Bessie Smith, Little Richard, and Otis Redding. Alan Walden was a music manager who helped start Capricorn Records, and also managed Otis Redding. Walden, who is white, says growing up he was never allowed inside the theater, but that didn’t stop him from hearing the