Southern Futures

It’s hurricane season and that concerns our episode guest, Danielle Purifoy, who looks at the ways extreme weather and other issues impact rural communities in the South. A native of Durham, who worked in Louisiana during Katrina recovery, Purifoy examines how people in varied communities cope with these challenges. Armed with a Ph.D. in environmental politics and a license to practice law, Purifoy’s research traces the roots of contemporary environmental conditions in the U.S. South, specifically in Black towns dating back to the post-Bellum era. An Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Purifoy writes about the legal dimensions of environmental justice. She is also an editor at Scalawag, a magazine devoted to Southern politics and culture.

From TV newscasts to social media, so much of what we know about current social movements, COVID-19 or other issues is shaped by narratives. Courtney Rivard, a professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature and Director of the Digital Literacy Communications Lab, demonstrates how compelling stories similarly shaped our perception of the South during the Great Depression. The conversation explores the power of storytelling during times of crisis.

Blues, jazz, country, blue grass, and rockabilly create uniquely American music and they all have roots in the South. Steve Weiss, curator of the Southern Folklife Collection at the Wilson Special Collections Library, looks at how we use music to stand in for traditional mourning rituals during COVID-19 or to protest now and in the past. Steve also reflects on his Cuban roots and the soundtrack of his childhood in Appalachia.

Blair LM Kelley and Malinda Maynor Lowery continue their conversation in this bonus episode, tackling the struggle of discussing racism with children.

Episode 1.2 of Southern Futures: The Podcast features historians from two of North Carolina’s flagship universities — Malinda Maynor Lowery of UNC-Chapel Hill and Blair L. M. Kelley of NC State University — who talk together about the conversations we must have about our past in order to achieve a shared future. Along with podcast host Melody Hunter-Pillion, this episode reckons with the reality of our American South: just as the South is home to some of the nation’s core injustices, it also holds the courage to make change.

Episode 1.1 of Southern Futures: The Podcast features Tyree Day, teaching assistant professor and poet in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at UNC-Chapel Hill. In this inaugural episode, host Melody Hunter-Pillion and special guest Tyree Day discuss memory, Black family heritage, and the poetry of ordinary life.