Salvation South
Georgia Public Broadcasting
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Salvation South editor Chuck Reece comments on Southern culture and values in a weekly segment that airs Fridays on GPB Radio.
Salvation South is an online magazine inspired by hope, healing and — most importantly — the desire to create a place on the web and a community of people where civil conversation can happen. We celebrate the culture of the South, and discuss issues of importance to our region.
Available episodes
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18 hours ago
Deluxe: How Racial Unity Brought Back a Small Town
Salvation South Deluxe is a series of longer episodes featuring deeper stories of the Southern experience through the unique voices that live it. This episode we travel to Old Fort, NC to tell the story of how racial unity saved a struggling small town's economy.
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6 days ago
Giving Thanks to a Truly Exceptional Former First Lady
Salvation South editor Chuck Reece and his family had much to be thankful for as they celebrated Thanksgiving. But he couldn’t get through the day without adding someone outside his family circle, the former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, to the list of people for whom he was grateful. Chuck explains in this week's commentary.
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Nov 3, 2023
How to Taste a Memory
When our ancestors pass away, we reckon with what they leave us. That can be objects, or money, or land, or a host of other material things. But for some folks, the most important thing bequeathed by an ancestor is the food, the recipes, because in those tastes—sometimes…if we’re lucky—there is magic. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has a story about that magic in this week’s commentary.
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Oct 27, 2023
The Dark Sweetness of Sorghum
Salvation South editor Chuck Reece’s father ate sorghum syrup almost every night. In his era, refined sugar was scarce on a North Georgia farm. There wasn’t a sugar bowl on most tables; instead, there was a jar of sorghum. These days, sorghum is a necessary element of Southern food and culture as Chuck explains in this week's commentary.
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Oct 8, 2023
Howard Finster, Man of Visions
One of the most famous painters the state of Georgia ever produced never took an art class. Instead, he was a small-town preacher. He believed God called him to paint what he called “sacred art.” Salvation South editor Chuck Reece remembers a day he spent with Howard Finster forty years ago in this week's commentary.
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Sep 21, 2023
Why the First Line Matters
Too often, we do not think about the first thing that comes out of our mouths in a conversation. After many years of paying very close attention to the first lines of books and magazine articles, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has a few ideas about why we should give our first words a little more thought in this week’s commentary.
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Sep 15, 2023
How Folk Music Works
When we think about “folk music,” most of us think about music that sounds a certain way. But really, folk music is the stuff we pass around to each other, that we sing around the fire, the songs that we let anyone join in on. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece explains the origins of one of the most famous folk songs in this week’s commentary.
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Sep 8, 2023
The Blind Man Runs
One of the South’s greatest musical treasures is a gospel singing group that has been around since 1939, called the Blind Boys of Alabama. The longtime leader of that group is, at age 91, retiring after a lifetime of singing. In this week's commentary Salvation South editor Chuck Reece reflects on a recent visit with the singer and a lasting memory of one of the singer's performances.
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Aug 18, 2023
An Understanding of 'White Privilege'
In our public discourse these days, certain phrases are almost guaranteed to make people nervous. One of those is “white privilege.” In this week's commentary Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece explains how a long talk with Southern writer, David Joy, helped him look at the phrase differently.
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Aug 10, 2023
This One's For the Teachers
Ask anyone the question, who taught you how to do that thing you love to do? The answer will often be something like, "There was this one teacher who really believed in me and didn’t give up on me." Today, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece wants to celebrate every school teacher listening, who never give up on their students.
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Jul 31, 2023
Eatonville and Zora Neale Hurston
Building a series of travel stories about the hometowns of Southern writers, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece discovered an essay by the novelist and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston in which she discusses the town of Eatonville, Florida where she grew up. He has more thoughts on Hurston and her connection to the historic town in this week's commentary.
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Jul 21, 2023
A Lament for the Georgia Peach
Due to this year’s unusually warm winter, Georgia peach growers are facing one of the worst seasons in memory. In this week's commentary, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has a few words of lament for this situation—and some thoughts about how to behave when you visit a fruit stand that has no peaches.
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Jul 7, 2023
Why Faulkner's "Absalom, Absalom" is a challenging must-read for Southerners
When Salvation South editor Chuck Reece was 19, he encountered what many people say is the greatest Southern novel ever written — William Faulkner’s "Absalom, Absalom!" The book is a grueling test for even the most dedicated reader, but in this week’s commentary Chuck says it is still worth your time.
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Jun 30, 2023
A Georgia Kid in New York City
When Salvation South editor Chuck Reece first moved to New York City, he felt like he had something to prove. But he didn’t know exactly what that was. In this week’s commentary, he reports on what he learned from an audacious experiment.
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Jun 23, 2023
Chinese Bluegrass
Salvation South editor Chuck Reece often talks about how cultures from around the world have integrated into the culture of the American South. In this week's commentary, Chuck looks at a truly unique and harmonious marriage of bluegrass picking with the music of China direct from Nashville of course.
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Jun 16, 2023
Lessons in Pride
June is Pride Month, and LGBTQ+ communities across the South and elsewhere are celebrating, while some state legislatures across the country have passed or are considering new anti-LGBTQ laws. In the middle of this controversy, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has decided to stick with a simple lesson his father taught him years ago in this week's episode.
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Jun 2, 2023
Southern Influence on Immigrant Chefs
Food lovers often talk about “fusion cuisine,” a type of food created when a cook mixes flavors from one place with flavors from another. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has a few words about a chef who grew up in India but who adamantly and proudly declares himself a Mississippian in this week's episode.
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May 26, 2023
Recapturing Our Carefree Childhood
How well do you remember what you were like when you were only eight years old? Most of us would never dream of doing the things we did when we were kids. But have you ever wondered whether thinking like an eight-year-old could be a great thing? Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has a story about that in this week’s commentary.
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May 12, 2023
Mother's Day and Memories of Mama
As we celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday, many of us are thinking about the ones who brought us into this world. In this week’s episode, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece explains how he’s been thinking about his own mother, who left him too early but remains with him still.
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Apr 28, 2023
Robert Johnson and the Soothing Power of the Blues
After diving once again into the history of blues music — arguably the greatest Southern contribution to American culture — Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece has been thinking about music’s power to soothe even the deepest pain we feel. He shares his thoughts in this week's commentary.
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Apr 21, 2023
Appalachian English
April is National Poetry Month. In this week's commentary Salvation South editor Chuck Reece celebrates the occasion by looking at the richness of Southern speech — specifically at how the words we use tell the world who we are.
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Mar 24, 2023
The True History of Stone Mountain
A new documentary from the Atlanta History Center about the history of Stone Mountain, and the memorial to the Confederacy carved into its flank, has prompted many Georgians to re-examine what they thought they knew about the carving and how it got there. It also prompted a story in Chuck Reece’s online magazine, Salvation South. Chuck has details in this week's commentary.
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Mar 17, 2023
An Appreciate for Southern Poetry
The South is beloved by people around the world for its literature. The names of great novelists like Eudora Welty and Alice Walker and William Faulkner are familiar everywhere. But we should not neglect the work of the South’s poets, who move us to empathy with just a few well-chosen words. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has some thoughts on the subject in this week’s commentary.
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Mar 3, 2023
Little Known Soul
Since Salvation South editor Chuck Reece began joining GPB every Friday, one of his most popular commentaries was about the great legacy of Southern soul music. This week, we’ve asked Chuck to treat us to some soul music that maybe we haven’t heard. He’s got two songs about desire that he believes we all ought to add to our libraries.
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Feb 24, 2023
James Reese Europe
February is Black History Month, when we take time to honor African Americans who have contributed to the cultural, political, societal and academic evolution of our nation. And sometimes, when we dig into that history, we unearth the stories of remarkable people whose names were largely forgotten.
Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece has the story of one such extraordinary man in this week’s commentary.
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Feb 17, 2023
ChatGPT takes on Southern Culture
Artificial intelligence — and the worry over how students might use it to cheat on their assignments — has become a dominant topic in the news of late. In this week's commentary, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece spends some time with ChatGPT and discovers that when it comes to forming a truly insightful understanding of Southern culture and history, our teachers don’t have much to worry about.
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Feb 10, 2023
Salem Cemetery
The way that folks in the South honor their ancestors who have passed away has some elements that folks outside the region might find curious. But as Salvation South Editor Chuck Reece explains in this week's commentary, those ways of paying tribute can sometimes help to pull communities together.
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Feb 3, 2023
Remembering Ort
A memorial service will be held Saturday in Athens, Georgia for William Orten Carlton, who was born, raised, and lived his entire life in that college town. In many ways, this man — known to most people simply as “Ort” — was the glue that held Athens together. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece has this remembrance.
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Jan 13, 2023
Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'Beloved Community'
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.
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Jan 6, 2023
Lark Ascending
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.
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Dec 30, 2022
Old Fort and the Promise of Smalltown Salvation
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.
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Dec 22, 2022
Christmas Memories
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.
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Dec 16, 2022
A Southern Contrarian's Christmas Dinner
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.
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Dec 2, 2022
An Ode to Mayberry and the Joys of Small-Town Life
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.
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Nov 25, 2022
Pimento Cheese
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.
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Nov 18, 2022
A Sense of Place
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.
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Nov 10, 2022
Oysters: Divisive, Debated, and Delicious
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.
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Nov 4, 2022
From the Wreckage of the Clotilda to the Community Of Africatown
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 story in this week’s commentary.
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Oct 27, 2022
Canning Season: A Time to Spend with Those You Love
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.
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Oct 21, 2022
The Enduring Legacy Behind Southern Soul Music
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.
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Oct 14, 2022
An Afghan refugee's story offers a lesson of gratitude for a fractured America
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.
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Oct 7, 2022
A Remembrance of Loretta Lynn: The Voice of Rural 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.
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Sep 30, 2022
Fall's beginning thankfully spells the end of this nasty creature
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.
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Sep 16, 2022
Uncle Bob and life lessons from the southern country store
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.
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Sep 9, 2022
The humble casserole is the South's ultimate comfort food
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.
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Sep 2, 2022
The enduring power of 'busy hands'
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.
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Aug 26, 2022
An Alabama town finds it's never too late to try to bridge the racial divide
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 week's commentary.
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Aug 19, 2022
National Random Acts Of Kindness Day - A made-up holiday we all should celebrate
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.
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Aug 12, 2022
Why 'y'all' is the perfect pronoun for all of y'all (and not just southerners)
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.
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Aug 4, 2022
What Gumbo tells us about Southern culture
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.
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Jul 26, 2022
Finding hope in these challenging times
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.
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