Panel Discussions: "Southern Exposure at 50: Pages from the Movements for Justice" 

Current and former staff members of the Institute for Southern Studies will be joined by activists and scholars on a two-part panel discussion exploring the history and legacy of Southern Exposure magazine, a groundbreaking investigative reporting project. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first issue of the journal. 

The program is co-sponsored by the Institute for Southern Studies, the North Carolina Collection and the Southern Historical Collection in the Wilson Special Collections Library, and the Center for the Study of the American South (home of the quarterly journal Southern Cultures, the Southern Oral History Program, Southern Futures, and the Critical Ethnic Studies Collaborative). 

Founded in 1970 by Julian Bond and other veterans of the civil rights movement, the Institute for Southern Studies has emerged as an essential resource for grassroots organizers, communities, policy makers, and others working to bring social and economic change to the region. From 1973-2010, the Institute published Southern Exposure, an award-winning journal of politics and culture known for its thorough investigations, unsentimental portraits of Southern life, and resources for change.    

The first half of the program (1:00-2:10pm) will be a conversation with Southern Exposure founders and key contributors Bob Hall, Sue Thrasher, and Leah Wise (moderated by Chip Hughes) on the early history of the magazine. 

The second half of the program (2:20-3:30pm) will be a panel featuring Ajamu Amiri Dillahunt, Ben Barber, and Olivia Paschal (moderated by Chris Kromm), focusing on the legacy of Southern Exposure to current movements for justice and the debut of a new digital archive of the magazine’s back catalog. 

To join this event virtually, register for the livestream: go.unc.edu/SouthernExposure50

Date: 
Saturday, March 11, 2023 
Time: 
1:00 - 3:30 pm
Location: 
Pleasants Family Assembly Room, Wilson Special Collections LIbrary