Southern culture describes both the lived experience of folks living in and native to the South, as well as the way "The South" is conceptualized in cultural discourses. This year, Scalawag's contributors wrote on the importance of preserving spaces created by Black and queer Southerners as safe havens to live, love, and collectively struggle. They […]
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Posted inSCALAWAG UPDATES
Abolitionist Politics and Incarcerated Perspectives: A Scalawag Reading List
As an Abolitionist publication, stories focused on the prison industrial complex—as well as all carceral social systems that discipline us into policing ourselves and one another—remain Scalawag's foremost publishing priority.
Posted inRACE & PLACE
After Helene and Milton, Farmworkers Play an Outsized Role in the Cleanup
North Carolina farmworkers on an H-2A visa had their visas extended to work on the dangerous cleanup of damaged fields after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Posted inRACE & PLACE
Who's Keeping Our History Alive?: Black Preservation in South Florida
"Today, against the constant attacks on even the most minute bits of South Florida history, two notable Black cultural workers, Nadege Green, creator of Black Miami Dade, and Emmanuel George, creator of Black Broward, help to preserve our vibrant local history."
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
Florida's LGBTQ+ community defies queer repression with advocacy & preservation
"Through strong communal leadership, the preservation of our vibrant history, and effective advocacy for issues that concern our community, it is possible to change the overwhelmingly downtrodden narrative. Therefore, I choose to spotlight the work of the Maven Leadership Collective and The Stonewall National Museum, Archives and Library."
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
The Southern Truth About Communism
Understanding the history of (anti-)communism, particularly in the American South, reveals just how sinister a tool anti-radical censorship and propaganda has been and continues to be when wielded by the fascist state to quell movements for freedom, justice, and equality.
Posted inRACE & PLACE
We're Queer, 'We're Here,' and We're Fighting Back
The show's account of Florida's neo-Nazis and proto-fascists are sickening—and not in the fabulous drag way.
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
How we build political power: Lessons from Texas and Florida organizers
Organizers in Texas and Florida share what it means to build power outside of traditional electoral campaigns.
Posted inRACE & PLACE
'Young people need power.' Southern students on safety, accountability, and what they need from adults
"Do something. Pass legislation. 'Thoughts and prayers' without action to prevent tragedy is faith without works."
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
Florida's problems—and their solutions—are a bellwether for the South at large
Florida Rising is empowering organizers and redirecting resources to address government failings and shift the balance of power across the state.
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
Scalawag's 2021 Sick & Shut In List
Let us pray that these villains change their ways in 2022 and put an end to the havoc they're wreaking across our beloved South.
Posted inRACE & PLACE
Salt, Soil, & Supper: Amending Florida's constitution to save its waterways
"Florida just wasn't designed geologically to support 20 million people."
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
Without paid leave, the South's COVID school policies cause a terrible trickle down for families
Nearly a dozen interviews with kids and parents in Florida, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Texas emphasize a need to fundamentally rethink much of education—including the myth that schools operate separately from family life.
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
Florida's legacy of slow-rolling parole keeps thousands of people behind bars—some, for decades past their eligibility date
Kayle Smith has been eligible for parole for 10 of the 34 years he's spent in prison. The state has spent $240,000 to keep him incarcerated.
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
In Florida, protesting can cost you your right to vote
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met calls to defund the police with an expansion of police power to crack down on protests.
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
Democrats eventually won Black youth voters, but will they keep them?
The political establishment's strategy for the most part has been forced to align with Black-youth led movements like Black Lives Matter as they gain in popularity, meanwhile scolding their most anti-establishment objectives like Defund the Police.
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
COVID-19: An extensive—and growing—list of political demands in the South
Because our survival has always depended on our collective power to build better systems.
Posted inPOLITICS & THE PEOPLE
This election season, Florida's people's assemblies focus on building a true democracy
Groups like the New Florida Majority are harnessing independent political power to place working-class Black and brown communities centerstage: "It's power that convinces us to believe in ourselves."