Our New South - Season 3 - Episode 9 - Doug Jones: Courage and Democracy

Former Senator Doug Jones joins Kevin Blackistone and Robert Greene II for a special live event hosted by Levine Museum of the New South, where he reflects on prosecuting the 16th Street Baptist Church bombers, his historic 2017 Senate victory, and his vision for an Alabama that resembles a "crowded table" where everyone belongs. Recorded in front of a live audience at the historic Carolina Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina, this conversation explores how the experience of growing up in a segregated steel town near Birmingham shaped Doug Jones, his political ambitions and eventual pursuit of justice. He also discusses the importance of bipartisanship and why he defines the "New South" not by its skyscrapers, but by the courageous, post-Jim Crow leaders who reached across racial lines. Currently running for governor of Alabama, Jones is the author of Bending Toward Justice, a book about his time as a lawyer and prosecutor. As U.S. Attorney, he famously prosecuted Eric Rudolph, the Centennial Olympic bomber, as well as the two Ku Klux Klan members responsible for the tragic 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. He also served as a U.S. Senator and remains the last Democrat to win a statewide office in Alabama. In that role, he demonstrated a profound commitment to bipartisanship by successfully passing over two dozen pieces of legislation into law with Republican co-sponsors. Sharing his ongoing fight for equality and voting rights, he urges younger generations to get out of their political corners. Links Learn more about Doug Jones: https://www.dougjones.com/ Purchase Doug Jones' Memoir "Bending Toward Justice": https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250316462/bendingtowardjustice/ Donate to support this podcast! https://museumofthenewsouth.kindful.com/ Learn more about Levine Museum of the New South: https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices