Our New South

On this episode of 'Our New South', show hosts Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II celebrate Women's History Month discussing the preservation of history and culture in the South through poetry and fiction with three exceptional writers. Jesmyn Ward, a novelist and professor of English at Tulane University, is a two-time winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, and was named a MacArthur G...

'Our New South' co-hosts Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II discuss the legacy of discriminatory policies which have displaced and disenfranchised communities in the South with Lori Thomas, the Executive Director of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and Charlotte Regional Data Trust, Mecklenburg County Commissioner Arthur Griffin, and Maurice Robinson, Assistant Professor of History/Political...

On this episode of Our New South, co-hosts Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II discuss the power of elections and voting in the South with former South Carolina House Representative Bakari Sellers, the President & CEO of the NAACP Derrick Johnson, and Aimy Steele, Executive Director of The New North Carolina Project. 'Our New South' is presented by the Levine Museum of the New South with thanks...

On this episode of Our New South, co-hosts Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II discuss how we preserve history and culture in the South with Stewart Gray, the Director of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, Robin Waites, Executive Director of Historic Columbia based in South Carolina, Kevin Mitchell, Chefscholar at The Culinary Institute of Charleston, and Charlotte-based m...

In this episode, Our New South hosts Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II discuss immigration in the South with Sil Ganzò, the Founder and Executive Director of Charlotte-based non-profit ourBRIDGE for Kids, Colton Bane, the Immigrant Justice Program Director at Community Legal Center in Memphis, Tennessee, and Daniel Valdez, the Chief External Affairs Officer at Welcoming America which is based...

In this episode of 'Our New South', co-hosts Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II speak with Sherri Chisolm, the Executive Director of Leading on Opportunity in Charlotte, North Carolina, about The Chetty Report and her work to level the playing field on social and economic mobility and the recent migration of people of color back to the south. We also welcome Brian Straessle, Executive Director...

In the premiere episode of 'Our New South', co-hosts Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II speak with Tressie McMillan Cottom, professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, New York Times columnist, and 2020 MacArthur Fellow, about the concept of the "New South" and why she keeps her eyes on the South as an indicator of where the nation is heading. Follow her work at tressiemc.com. At the conclusion of the episo...

This podcast series hosted by veteran journalist Kevin Blackistone and Professor of History at Claflin University Robert Greene II offers a unique look at the evolution of the New South and how historic Southern cities, including Charlotte, North Carolina, are confronting complex issues facing communities across the South and nationwide, ranging from equity in education and immigration to civil ri...