Salvation South

On Monday, we will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the national holiday that honors the late Atlanta civil rights leader, theologian and American icon. During his career, King spoke and wrote often about what he called “the beloved community.” In this week's commentary, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece considers what King meant when he talked about the beloved community.

There’s a good argument to be made that the greatest gift we can pass on to someone we love is a book. Books feed our spirits and take us to places we could never go on our own, and they bring us wisdom that stays with us for a lifetime. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece gives us his pick for the best Southern novel of 2022 in this week's commentary.

So many of us in the South have seen our small towns wither to almost nothing as the economy has changed. And we wonder, is there any hope of reviving those towns? What’s happening in the tiny North Carolina town of Old Fort is an example how it may just be possible. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has the story in this week's commentary.

When we’re little kids, this time of year can produce precious memories that will last our entire lives. Then we grow up and life gets more complicated. But there’s great value in savoring those old memories. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece tells us why in this week’s commentary.

Southern holiday dinners are delicious, but they can also be predictable. You can usually expect turkey and dressing or ham or maybe both. In this week's commentary, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece turns the tables on the predictable Southern Christmas dinner. 

Sixty years ago, there was a long-running TV program called “The Andy Griffith Show,” which took place in a fictional North Carolina town called Mayberry. The show’s laughter and life lessons were built on small-town Southern values. Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece explores the shows deeper meaning and explains why it resonates so personally for him in this week's episode. 

Pimento cheese is a classic Southern dish — a staple of Sunday dinners, Saturday tailgate parties, and late-night snacking. But did you know that pimento cheese did not originate in the South? Salvation South editor Chuck Reece was as surprised to find this out as you probably are. He explains in this week's commentary. 

For a decade, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has focused his work on the region in which he lives — the American South. After spending years pondering the question of why Southerners feel such pride for their region, he’s learned some things about where that pride comes from as he explains in this week's commentary. 

Few foods are as divisive as oysters. In this week's commentary, Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece shares that the divide extends beyond the taste and texture and into the very cultivation of this Southern staple. 

There is a very significant community down on Alabama’s Mobile Bay called Africatown — established after the Civil War by formerly enslaved people, who were brought to America aboard the illegal slave ship Cotilda, the last to land on this country’s shores. Over time, Africatown became one of the largest African American-governed communities in America. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has the s...

Many Georgians are at work this fall, preserving the bounty of the vegetable gardens they planted back in the springtime. In this week's commentary, Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece shares found memories of canning and putting up time spent with his Aunt Mary.

In the early 1960s, in places like Memphis, Tenn., and Muscle Shoals, Ala., groups of young Black and white musicians made hit records together in defiance of Jim Crow.  In this week's commentary, Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece explains why the significance of Southern soul music goes far beyond its irresistible call to the dance floor. 

When Afghanistan fell back into the hands of the Taliban last year, thousands of Afghan people who had worked to assist U.S. forces scrambled to leave the country and begin new lives elsewhere. In this week's commentary, Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece has the story of one such Afghan family — and what their experience might teach us about life in America.

One of country music’s greatest and most influential stars, Loretta Lynn, died this week at age 90. Her fearless and powerful writing spoke for rural people everywhere — particularly for rural women. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has this remembrance.

The end of summer means the end of the season for what is probably the nastiest creature in the southern ecosystem according to Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece. He explains why the pesky yellow fly is so despised in this week's commentary.

In the rural South of the 20th century, country stores were the centers of community. Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece visited many of them when he was a kid, riding along with his Uncle Bob, who supplied those stores for his livelihood. In this week's commentary, Chuck reflects on life lessons that experience taught him.

There are many foods for which the South is justifiably famous, such as gumbo, fried chicken, barbecue and so many more. The casserole is not thought of as a particularly Southern dish. But as Salvation South editor Chuck Reece explains in this week's commentary, the way Southerners use the casserole — and how we fill it with love — is definitely distinct.

Salvation South editor Chuck Reece attended a whole lot of funerals when he was a child, but he never tired of hearing loved ones share sweet stories about the dearly departed. In this week's commentary Chuck discusses one recent remembrance that struck a particular chord. 

The South has a history of racial disharmony and hatred that goes all the way back to colonial times. These days, we’re all waking up to the need to reach across the lines of race and come to a deeper and more genuine understanding. But can we really make that happen? A few months ago, it did happen in a small city in southeastern Alabama. Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece tells the story in this...

If you look at the calendar, you can find a handful of national and made-up holidays for every day of the year. There's everything from National Potato day to National Hug Your Dog Day.  In this week's commentary, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece explores one of those made-up holidays that particularly resonates with him, National Random Acts of Kindness Day.

For many years now, Georgia has attracted new residents from all over the country. People move here from New England, from the West Coast, from just about everywhere. And sometimes, these newcomers raise their eyebrows at us Southerners when we use the word "y’all." In this week's commentary, Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece explains why it is actually the perfect pronoun.

Gumbo is a dish that’s held in high esteem in the American South. And that’s not just because it tastes so good. Gumbo not only fills our bellies; it also tells us something about who we are as Southerners. In this week's commentary, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece explains why gumbo is actually the best metaphor for Southern culture.

A steady stream of bad news has been almost enough to make Salvation South editor Chuck Reece lose hope altogether. But he’s found a few ways to keep hope alive in his own life — and he hopes you’ll find these useful too in the first of his new commentary segments for GPB.