This past spring, Durham, North Carolina hosted a sprawling roots music festival called Biscuits and Banjos. For the thousands of attendees, it had some similarities to a lot of folk music events around the country. But one major thing set it apart. Nearly every featured performer was Black.

The event is just one part of a Black folk music revival sweeping the country that's rescuing lost traditions and challenging stereotypes that for generations have influenced things like who gets to play the banjo in America.

This episode is part of a collaboration between WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and WPLN-Nashville Public Radio.

Featuring:

• Jewly Hight, senior music writer at Nashville Public Radio - WPLN
• Rhiannon Giddens, musician and member of Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Dom Flemons, musician and member of Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Brandi Waller-Pace, musician and scholar
• Kaia Kater, musician and member of New Dangerfield

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

College football has become a money-sucking machine, with schools spending every dollar possible to keep up in an athletics arms race. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill entered the fray this year in spectacular fashion, betting big on legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick in the hopes that he’ll elevate the school’s football program. But why are universities, especially those with academic and research clout, pouring all of this money into athletics in the first place? 

Featuring: 

• Scott Dochterman, national college football reporter for The Athletic 
• Matt Hartman, higher education reporter for The Assembly 

Links: 

• Check out Scott’s reporting on money in college athletics.
• Read Matt’s work on UNC-Chapel Hill's big bet on Bill Belichick.
• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This year, Jane Austen fans around the world are celebrating the English author's 250th birthday. Surprisingly, one prominent event took place in North Carolina. The annual weeklong symposium, called the Jane Austen Summer Program, is a cross between an academic conference and summer camp, with lectures and embroidery workshops. It even has a Regency ball with a suggested dress code, so we put on our finest gown and traveled to New Bern, NC to find out why Austen's work is still as relevant as ever.

Featuring:

• Inger Brodey, professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and co-founder of the Jane Austen Summer Program
• Amy Patterson, co-owner of Jane Austen Books
• Samiha Bala, student at UNC-Chapel Hill

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For nearly 20 years, the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission has helped incarcerated people who have evidence of their innocence walk free. But despite over a dozen headline-grabbing success stories, this independent state agency remains incredibly rare in the American legal system. In fact, there's no other neutral government-run agency like it in the entire country. And this bold experiment could soon come to an end.

Featuring:

• Michael Hewlett, criminal justice reporter for The Assembly
• Will Michaels, reporter and host for WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio

Links:

• Check out reporting about the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission by Will at WUNC and Michael at The Assembly.
• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Indigenous languages are declining around the world at an alarming rate. Some studies estimate that one language dies out every two weeks. And the United States is no different. Of the 197 living indigenous languages spoken in this country, 193 are endangered. But one, in particular, has experienced a shocking downturn. Cherokee, once the most well-documented and commonly spoken Native American language in North America, is in serious danger of becoming extinct.

Featuring:

• Brooks Bennett, documentary filmmaker and director of A Sacred Thread
• Gil “Doyi” Jackson, Cherokee language instructor
• Dr. Courtney Lewis, associate professor at Duke University
• Tessa Dahlmann, teaching assistant at Duke University
• Jack “Tsegi” Cooper, Cherokee language instructor at Western Carolina University

Links:

• Check out the PBS North Carolina documentary film A Sacred Thread here.
• Learn more about Duke University's Research for Indigenous Studies & Engagement in the United States (RISE-US) program here.
• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Greenville, NC is an unlikely hotspot for an extreme sport like BMX freestyle. Tucked away in eastern North Carolina, it's surrounded by farmland and doesn’t even crack a list of the top ten biggest cities in the state. But at one point, it was home to more professional freestyle bike riders than anywhere else on the planet. Led by Dave Mirra, one of the greatest BMX athletes of all-time, this group of pros fostered a community that would change the world of action sports forever.

Warning: This episode contains a descriptions of suicide. Please listen with care, and if you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 9-8-8 on your phone. 

Featuring: 

• Steve Nowak, former pro BMX rider
• Mike Laird, former pro BMX rider and owner of ECCMetal and lairdframe
• Austin Hardee, former pro BMX rider and owner of AUS10designs
• Dylan Potter, creator of Jaycee Jams

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A type of music known as beach music has been baked into the culture of the Carolina coast for generations, along with a specific type of dancing that goes with it: shag. But how did these smooth, soulful sounds become tied to the sandy shores of North and South Carolina? The answer is a little more complicated and transgressive than you might expect.

This episode originally published on July 25, 2024.

Featuring:

• John Hook, radio DJ and beach music historian
• Curtis Platt, founder of Softtoe Entertainment & Dance Production and the annual Beach Urban Dance Classic

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Embedded within a North Carolina forest is something eerie – an empty, desolate circle where absolutely nothing grows. It’s known as the Devil’s Tramping Ground, where legend has it the Devil himself walks around the circle plotting his evil deeds against the world. The spot has attracted brave campers, paranormal investigators, and curious people passing through for centuries. So, what’s really going on here? 

Featuring: 

• Cliff Bumgardner, producer and director with PBS North Carolina
• Brad Thompson, regional agronomist for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Links:

• Watch Cliff's documentary about the Devil's Tramping Ground for PBS NC here.
• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In her Pulitzer prize-winning book on Native people in North America, historian Kathleen DuVal challenges the way non-native people often regard Native America. From the bustling cities that covered the continent a thousand years ago, to the strong connection Indigenous people maintain to their homelands today, the story of Native nations is so much more than isolated moments like the Lost Colony and the Trail of Tears.

Featuring: 

• Kathleen DuVal, Pulitzer prize-winning author of “Native Nations: A Millennium in North America”

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The turn of the 20th century was defined by earth-shattering advances in technology. Inventors were like rock stars. But for every household name like Alexander Graham Bell or the Wright Brothers, there were countless innovators whose contributions have been lost to time, including a brilliant engineer from North Carolina named Stuart Cramer. Like a genius Forrest Gump, Cramer showed up everywhere. And from air conditioning to fashion, his work continues to shape our world.

Featuring: 

• Brad Campbell, writer for Our State Magazine

Links:

• Check out Brad Campbell’s article on Stuart Cramer for the series Hidden History.
• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.