Description

This recording opens with singer Bessie Jones' rendition of "Preachin the Blues" and an introduction of the Southwind series by Boyd Lewis. The first story, which begins at 0:55, is about African American voting in the south. The story focuses on the historical impediments African Americans have faced and the gains made by the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The program includes interviews of people in Pickens County, Alabama who describe examples of voter intimidation and apathy among African Americans. Interviewees include civic leader W.C. Patton, Mullins, Alabama Mayor Geraldine Sawyer, activist Maggie Bozeman, Julia Wilder, co-chairwoman of the Pickens County Voters League. The second story begins at 13:10 and focuses on Atlanta folklorist Chuck Larkin who talks about the tradition of storytelling. The third story, which begins at 18:45, is about the Ku Klux Klan in Murray, Kentucky featuring interview clips of Galen Martin, Director of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights. The final segment, which begins at 24:40, is a commentary on how society should confront the Ku Klux Klan by Atlanta poet Pearl Lomax. The program ends with a sign off by Boyd Lewis."Southwind" was a radio program about the issues, people, and culture of the South that aired on WABE-FM, Atlanta's public radio station. The series, which aired from 1980 to 1987, was conceived, produced, and reported by journalist Boyd Lewis.

Record Contributed By

Atlanta History Center

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia