Ep. 6: Weed Whackers in the South
Headlights: Voices from The Progressive South
SYNOPSIS: While much of the U.S. has given a green light to cannabis, the South remains mostly hostile to legalization. This week we look at recent moves in three states to restrict hemp-based THC products — and why Virginia still doesn’t have a commercial weed market, even though marijuana is legal. In our conversation, we talk with Ilham Askia, CEO of the East Lake Foundation in Atlanta and co-founder of the nonprofit Gideon’s promise. She has worked in both criminal justice reform and community development, and she talks about the connections between the two. We also check in on...
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Ep. 5 A "Pragmatic Progressive' in North Carolina
Headlights: Voices from The Progressive South
Conservative legislators in the South have been attacking diversity programs for years, long before President Trump made a national priority of assailing “DEI.” This week, we look at some of this year’s anti-DEI bills in Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas — and why their allegations of anti-white discrimination are mostly bunk. This week’s conversation spotlights North Carolina state Sen. Graig Meyer, a “pragmatic progressive” who represents the Chapel Hill area. He talked about how his background in social work and education led him to seek public office; how he seeks to be...
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Ep. 4: A Second Southern 'Redemption'?
Headlights: Voices from The Progressive South
When Reconstruction ended in the South in 1876, white political leaders moved swiftly to establish what they called a “redemption” — the re-establishment of white supremacist rule. Now, 60 years after the Civil Rights Act, white conservative political leaders are again moving to roll back advances toward racial and sexual equality. Are we in a second “redemption”? We talk about that with Princeton historian Kevin Kruse, who grew up in the South and has studied its political currents in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. He also discusses the lessons — and hopes —...
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Ep. 3: A Union Veteran
Headlights: Voices from The Progressive South
Immigration sweeps are picking up steam in states across the South, often with the help of state and local agencies. In this week’s roundup, we look at an unprecedented enforcement action in Florida called Operation Tidal Wave, which led to the arrest of more than 1,000 immigrants, along with operations in Tennessee and along the Interstate 10 corridor through Louisiana and Mississippi. The conversation this week is with union leader Vonda McDaniel, president of the Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. She talks about the connections between labor rights and all civil...
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Ep. 2: Richmond for All
Headlights: Voices from The Progressive South
In our second episode, Jesse offers the first Headlights weekly news round-up: a fight over library books in Arkansas, the rocky tenure of Louisiana’s top environmental official, and an attempt to block undocumented children from Tennessee public schools. He then heads out on the road to Richmond, Va., where he talks to community organizer Quinton Robbins, chair of a grassroots group called Richmond For All. They have had success both electing candidates to local office and pushing back against big-dollar development plans that threatened local communities. In the arts and culture segment,...
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Ep. 1: Welcome to Headlights
Headlights: Voices from The Progressive South
Welcome to Headlights! In our first episode, Jesse Mayshark — the founder and publisher of The Progressive South — introduces the podcast and project. What do we mean by “progressive”? What do we mean by “South”? And who are we, anyway? Then he takes to the streets of Knoxville, Tennessee, to hear from some of the thousands who came out earlier this month to protest the actions of the billionaires at the top of the federal government. And in an arts & culture segment, he notes a milestone for Florida native Ethel Cain — the first openly transgender artist to hit the top 10 of...
info_outlineImmigration sweeps are picking up steam in states across the South, often with the help of state and local agencies. In this week’s roundup, we look at an unprecedented enforcement action in Florida called Operation Tidal Wave, which led to the arrest of more than 1,000 immigrants, along with operations in Tennessee and along the Interstate 10 corridor through Louisiana and Mississippi.
The conversation this week is with union leader Vonda McDaniel, president of the Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. She talks about the connections between labor rights and all civil rights, the importance of the Black church in social justice work, and why football Sundays are the most union days of all. Plus: an appreciation of Percival Everett, whose book James won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction last week.
SHOW NOTES
List of ICE 287(g) contracts
Florida:
ICE press release, 5/1/25
Florida Immigrant Coalition
Tennessee:
Photographs from outside ICE facility, Madison Thorn
Tennessee Republicans Back South Nashville ICE Roundup, Tennessee Lookout
I-10 Corridor:
CBP press release, 5/5/25
Know Your Rights: 100-Mile Border Zone, ACLU
Percival Everett:
Pulitzer Prize 2025
“The Appropriation of Cultures” Percival Everett
CONTACT:
Jesse Mayshark [email protected]
(865) 214-7764