The Broadside

Over the past decade, universities across America embraced DEI policies. The University of North Carolina System enacted its own in 2019. After the racial justice protests of 2020, more schools across the country rushed to embrace efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. But then… came the backlash. 

UPDATE: Nearly 60 DEI positions eliminated from public universities in North Carolina

Featuring: 

• Brianna Atkins...

Lights. Camera. Tax breaks, y’all. For decades, Hollywood has set up shop in the South. But in recent years, the industry has undergone some major changes. Today, tax breaks are bringing a flood of blockbuster franchises, hit TV shows and lots and lots of cash to the region. And each state has to adapt to stay in the game.

Featuring:

• Jonas Pate, filmmaker and co-creator of Netflix's Outer Banks
• Guy Gaster, director of t...

In 1955, six Black men in Greensboro, North Carolina did something radical. They attempted to play a round of golf. Decades later, their legacy lives on.

Featuring: 

• Josh Sullivan, social media producer at WUNC
• Mark Lathan, Director of Programs for First Tee of Central Carolina
• Jesse Williams, collegiate golfer at Miles College

Special thanks to the Southern Oral History Program at UNC-Chapel Hill for audio of Dr. ...

On February 10, 2015 three young Muslim Americans were murdered in a Chapel Hill, North Carolina apartment. What initially seemed like a clear case of a hate crime to many turned into a battle that would play out for years in the press and in the courts. Along the way, it renewed questions about how the United States handles hate. 

Featuring:

• Farris Barakat, co-founder of the Light House Project
• Satana Deberry, Durham ...

Regional pro wrestling was once a major cultural institution throughout the South. For decades, each state had its own stars like North Carolina's Ric Flair who performed weekly at iconic venues like Raleigh's Dorton Arena. But by the late 1980s, the emergence of a handful of large national wrestling promotions like Vince McMahon’s WWF (now WWE) destroyed that territorial system. 30 years later, regional wrestling is makin...

Cheryl Shelton-Roberts and her husband, renowned photographer Bruce Roberts, worked for years to preserve North Carolina’s iconic lighthouses. Meanwhile, their relationship blossomed into a love story unlike any other.

This episode is an adaptation of a story that originally appeared in Our State magazine. 

Featuring:

• Cheryl Shelton-Roberts, co-founder of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society and former schoolteacher. 

L...

A type of music known as beach music has been baked into the culture of the Carolina coast for generations, along with a specific type of dancing that goes with it: shag. But how did these smooth, soulful sounds become tied to the sandy shores of North and South Carolina? The answer is a little more complicated and transgressive than you might expect.

Featuring: 

• John Hook, radio DJ and beach music historian
• Curtis Plat...

Appalachia is Bigfoot territory. In a big way. This week, we look at the mythical beast's legend, lore and sizable economic impact in the region. And we follow one reporter’s journey through the mountains and foothills of western North Carolina in search of Sasquatch. 

Featuring: 

• Emily Cataneo, reporter for The Assembly

Links: 

• Check out Emily's story on Appalachian Bigfoot culture at The Assembly here.
• You can ...

Red wolves were declared extinct in the wild in 1980. But in a stunning success for conservationists, a captive breeding program reintroduced the animal less than a decade later. That effort has stalled in recent years. Today, there are fewer than 30 animals left in the wild, all located in an isolated corner of North Carolina. Ultimately, the iconic Southern carnivore’s biggest threat is also its best hope for survival: h...

July 4th, 1776 is arguably the most important date in American history. That's when citizens of the colonies declared total independence from Great Britain for the very first time. But what if it wasn’t the first? This week, we travel down the rabbit hole of North Carolina’s Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and entertain a couple of shocking possibilities: either someone’s lying — or we may need to rethink everythin...

The game of cricket is rapidly gaining popularity across the US. The country is currently co-hosting the Men's T20 Cricket World Cup for the very first time at venues in major cities like New York, Miami and Dallas. But if you want to see what the future of the sport in America might look like, you need to visit a field next to an airport in the small town of Morrisville, North Carolina.

Featuring: 

• Hasham Malik, captai...

Sugarloaf Island protects the community of Morehead City from hurricanes and storm surge. But in recent decades, it’s begun to disappear. A multimillion dollar project is underway to save this North Carolina town's last line of defense from the pounding waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The plan's mix of science and engineering could offer a solution for coastal erosion across the country. 

Featuring: 

• Celeste Gracia, Environ...

In the last decade, the craft industry’s boom has steadily spread across Southern states. There are now thousands of breweries in the region (400 in North Carolina alone). But what exactly is a Southern beer?

Featuring:

• Sean Lilly Wilson, Founder of Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC
• Tinu Diver, Documentary Filmmaker
• Owen Racer, Freelance Journalist
• Todd Boera, Co-founder and Creative Director of Fonta Flora Brewery in Neb...

Earlier this year, an aquarium in a small-town in Western North Carolina claimed that a stingray named Charlotte got impregnated by a shark. Charlotte became an internet sensation in the aftermath and quite possibly the most famous fish in the world. Then, things got weird.

Featuring:

• Emily Cataneo, reporter for The Assembly

Links:

• Check out Emily’s deep dive on Charlotte the stingray at The Assembly here.
• Watch ...

Perhaps more than any other artform, the 20th century was shaped by jazz. And piano player and composer Mary Lou Williams was there at nearly every turn. In recent years, historians have documented and dissected her career and its big impact on American music. But the final chapter of her life—spent teaching at Duke University—was shrouded in mystery. Until now.

Special thanks to Chris Pattishall for writing and performing ...

During his prolific six-decade career, Billy Graham traveled across the world preaching Christianity to millions. Along the way, he became one of the most influential religious figures in America. His prominence sparked friendships with several American presidents, and he became a regular presence as an advisor in the Oval Office. But his home was always in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. And this month, his home st...

NASCAR is the most popular motorsport series across America, but its roots run deep as a regional sport in the South, especially in our home state of North Carolina. That history has heavily influenced the growth of motorsports in the US, which has produced a disproportionate amount of Southern drivers — and fans. But in recent years, a surprising new trend has begun to level that playing field: the explosion in popularity...

When it comes to where our trash goes, for most of us it's out of sight, out of mind. But for the residents of a once-thriving Black community in North Carolina, it’s right next door. Sampson County is the site of the largest landfill in the state, and isn’t projected to be full for another 20 years. For the people who live next to it, this mountain of trash has dire consequences — and they want it shut down.

Featuring: 

This week, we're revisiting a story from last year that's recently been back in the headlines. Discount stores like Family Dollar and Dollar General have become ubiquitous in the American landscape — especially in the South. They can be convenient and even necessary, but some advocates warn that their rapid spread is creating food deserts. But while pushback to dollar stores grows, researchers say that we need more data to...