Welcome to the Progressive South! We are a nonprofit media platform for progressive voices and values in the Southern U.S. We aim to provide news about goings-on in these states and amplify the important work of people and organizations across the region. You can find more information at the “About” tab, and check out our always-growing list of useful links at “Resources.” Our first project is our podcast:
A weekly program featuring a regional news roundup and interviews with people doing good work across the South. Plus, a little arts and culture. Available here as well as on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. Subscribe, like and share!
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Headlights Ep. 39: New Orleans vs. ICE
While outrage continues to mount about violent immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, ICE and the Border Patrol are active at smaller scale in cities across the South. A hearing last week in New Orleans brought together political leaders and immigrant advocates to detail the terror that Operation Catahoula Crunch has instilled in local communities, where many…
More From Headlights
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Headlights Ep. 38: Affordability in Kentucky
“Affordability” — the struggle many Americans face to pay for housing and food and transportation — has become a political buzzword. But what what drives it, and what can government action do about it? A recent report by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy gathers specific data to look at the challenges in the Bluegrass…
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Headlights Ep. 37: Listening to MLK
Martin King Luther Jr. Day arrives this year in the midst of an ongoing assault on his legacy and the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement at both the national and — in the South — state levels. So this week we spend a little time listening to MLK the man, the leader, the strategist,…
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Headlights Ep. 36: A Tar Heel Fight for Democracy
Democracy is hard. As John Adams said, “It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself.” It’s even harder when governments are corrupted by money and partisan chicanery. Which is why the nonprofit group Democracy North Carolina has been fighting for truly representative government in the state for more than 30 years. Jesse talks with Marques Thompson,…
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Headlights Ep. 35: The 2026 Battlegrounds
The political map of the South is full of interesting questions in 2026, some of which will be answered at the ballot box. In this preview of the new year, Jesse looks at some of the highest-profile races and the contenders facing off in them: Contests for governor and senator in Texas, a fascinating rematch…
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Headlights Ep. 34: A Year in the Progressive South
2025 has been a tumultuous and difficult year across the United States, and certainly here in the South. In a year-end episode, Jesse looks back at some of the major issues we’ve covered on Headlights, from immigration enforcement to redistricting battles to labor rights and electoral contests — with help from a selection of voices…
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Headlights Ep. 33: ‘Can’t Win’ in North Carolina
What do you do if you have to run for office in a district that was drawn so that your political party can’t possibly win it? That was the situation Kate Compton Barr faced in a North Carolina state Senate race in 2024. Her solution: radical honesty. She told voters she couldn’t win, and instead…
About The Progressive South
The Progressive South is a nonprofit media platform for progressive voices and values in the Southern U.S. We want to help inform and connect people across the South doing good work and fighting good fights. We are based in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the headwaters of the Tennessee River.