Apathy Is Not An Option

The ballot initiative process can be used to pass laws when legislatures refuse to act, but in Florida, a new statute, HB 1205, is threatening the survival of this process — and the broader movement to protect U.S. democracy. Southern Poverty Law Center attorney Avner Shapiro and political science professor Daniel Smith break down the SPLC’s efforts to fight HB 1205 and protect direct democracy in Florida.

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Andre Perry, director of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Community Uplift, joins Apathy Is Not an Option during Black Business Month to highlight the importance of Black entrepreneurship. Beyond simply celebrating Black-owned businesses, Perry pushes us to understand the systems that will enable Black entrepreneurs, and the communities that surround them, to truly thrive.


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An expert in confronting “hard history,” professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries joins Apathy Is Not an Option for a conversation on the importance of engaging with the United States’ complete history — the good and the bad — during its 250th year. As the nation looks back on its past and imagines the future to come, Jeffries highlights why historical truth matters, what the Black freedom struggle teaches about...

The United States’ 250th year is a time for celebrating, reflecting and looking ahead to envision the nation’s next milestones. Apathy Is Not an Option talks to the SPLC’s Rivka Maizlish about how to honestly reckon with the past on this important occasion, with further insight from professor Carol Anderson on learning from historical struggles to create a better future. That future will be shaped by young people ...

What does it take to protect a community from being pushed off its own land? This week on Apathy Is Not an Option, Sapelo Island advocate Josiah “Jazz” Watts joins attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Economic Justice litigation team to break down the fight to preserve one of the last intact Gullah-Geechee communities in the South. As developers push for expansion and rising property values threaten ge...

April is Fair Housing Month — a time to reflect on what it really takes to achieve housing justice. In this episode of Apathy Is Not an Option, host Alex Beightol is joined by Teresa Fox-Bettis, a regional fair housing expert based in the Gulf Coast, and Richard Rothstein, a nationally recognized housing scholar and author, to examine the legacy of redlining and what true accountability looks like today. This conversation cha...

What does it take to build a future where Black communities not only survive, but thrive? Walter Greason and Reynaldo Anderson join Apathy Is Not an Option to explore how Afrofuturism helps us reimagine what’s possible and how it intersects with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s work to advance racial justice, strengthen democracy and challenge systemic inequality.

Apathy Is Not an Option is a production of PRX a...

In recognition of Women’s History Month, Apathy Is Not an Option sits down with Karen Baynes-Dunning, the first Black woman to serve as board chair of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Baynes-Dunning shares the lessons she learned from the women who inspired her, the challenges of leading in spaces where few look like you, and why Southern women remain a powerful force in the movement for justice and democracy.

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Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center, joins SPLC investigative reporter Caitlin Cruz for a powerful conversation about her journey from resisting the legacy of her parents — the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King — to embracing her calling to carry their vision forward through nonviolence and lasting social change.

Apathy Is Not an Option is a production of PRX and the Southern Poverty Law Cent...

In honor of Black History Month, Apathy Is Not an Option brings together Lauren Blanding of the SPLC’s Civil Rights Memorial Center, Elizabeth Reese of Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House and Dan Moore Jr. of Atlanta’s APEX Museum to discuss the role museums play in shaping public memory. As debates over how U.S. history is told continue nationwide, this episode examines how museums defend truth, confront hard histories a...

During Poverty Awareness Month, interim Southern Poverty Law Center President and CEO Bryan Fair joins Apathy Is Not an Option to examine the systems that perpetuate poverty and to underscore why advancing dignity, economic justice and meaningful relief across the South and beyond remains an urgent core priority of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Apathy Is Not an Option is a production of PRX and the Southern Poverty Law Ce...

From the powerful insights of author Clint Smith to an invigorating call to action from civil rights legend Dolores Huerta, Apathy Is Not an Option is wrapping up 2025 with a look back at some of our favorite moments this season. Join us to relive conversations with these icons and more, including Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones and journalist Jose Antonio Vargas.

Apathy Is Not an Optio...

SPLC Florida Policy Director Jonathan Webber, senior staff attorney Ahmed Soussi and Deputy Legal Director for Democracy and Voting Rights Bradley Heard join Apathy Is Not an Option to explain how everyday people can still make their voices heard, even when faced with partisan redistricting and barriers to simply casting a vote. Then, Louisiana State Rep. Terry Landry Jr. speaks on how stepping into elected office has given him hop...

Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta and 2025 Atlanta Pride Grand Marshals Raquel Willis and Dr. Christy Perez share stories celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and Atlanta Pride — two movements rooted in visibility, culture and collective power across the South.

Apathy Is Not an Option is a production of PRX and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Nichole Hill and Mark Pagán are the senior producers and editors. Terence Bern...

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, SPLC attorney Malissa Williams, cultural leader Beverly Steele and young Royal residents join host Alexandria Beightol to explore what the unfulfilled promise of 40 acres and a mule really means — and why it still matters.

Apathy Is Not an Option is a production of PRX and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Nichole Hill and Mark Pagán are the senior producers and ed...

Back to school — but not back to silence. Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw and author Clint Smith join us to challenge the erasure of Black history and explain why the fight over curriculum is a fight for democracy.

Apathy Is Not an Option is a production of PRX and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Nichole Hill and Mark Pagán are the senior producers and editors. Terence Bernardo handles sound design and mixing. I’m ...

Activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham and journalist Jose Antonio Vargas join Alexandria Beightol to challenge the myth of American freedom. From Ferguson to ICE raids, they expose the lies built into our national story and unpack how Black and immigrant communities are redefining freedom—and why true patriotism means fighting for justice for all.

Apathy Is Not an Option is a production of PRX and the Southern Poverty ...

In this Juneteenth episode, we trace Black resistance from Ferguson, Missouri, to the courtroom. Historian Stefan Bradley, media justice advocate Brandi Collins-Dexter, and SPLC co-founder Joe Levin reflect on protest, digital activism and legal strategies against hate. What do we inherit when we resist — and what do we risk?

Apathy Is Not an Option is a production of PRX and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Nichole Hi...

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Dr. Leah Barlow, Liz Mikitarian, Catherine Lhamon, and YT Bell join Apathy Is Not An Option to expose how disinformation is reshaping public education—and what it takes to fight back. From preserving Black history to protecting students’ rights, these voices are leading the charge for inclusive, truthful learning. Hosted by Alexandria Beightol. A production of the Southern Poverty Law Center and PRX....