Billy Ball
@billyball.bsky.social
Founder, TheLivingSouth.com; Senior Editor @CardinalandPine;
Seen On: @TheAtlantic @washingtonpost @MSNBC, others. @UNCHussman grad. Journalism is the best job ever.
Seen On: @TheAtlantic @washingtonpost @MSNBC, others. @UNCHussman grad. Journalism is the best job ever.
The Living South
The most interesting people, stories, and culture in the American South.
www.thelivingsouth.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:29 PM
The Voting Rights Act is one of the most significant bills ever written about or for the South.
But in 2025, if it's not dead, it's in hospice. There is a way to fix it. Sign-up is free to read my latest at The Living South, my weekly unpacking of the South.
www.thelivingsouth.com/saving-the-v...
But in 2025, if it's not dead, it's in hospice. There is a way to fix it. Sign-up is free to read my latest at The Living South, my weekly unpacking of the South.
www.thelivingsouth.com/saving-the-v...
The Voting Rights Act changed the South. Here's how to save it.
The Voting Rights Act, perhaps the most important piece of legislation in the 20th century South, is a shadow of its former self. Restoring it is an existential matter.
www.thelivingsouth.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:32 PM
The Voting Rights Act is one of the most significant bills ever written about or for the South.
But in 2025, if it's not dead, it's in hospice. There is a way to fix it. Sign-up is free to read my latest at The Living South, my weekly unpacking of the South.
www.thelivingsouth.com/saving-the-v...
But in 2025, if it's not dead, it's in hospice. There is a way to fix it. Sign-up is free to read my latest at The Living South, my weekly unpacking of the South.
www.thelivingsouth.com/saving-the-v...
It had actual teeth too, barring "literacy tests" and other racist Jim Crow laws. It required that states with a history of discrimination get approval from the feds before changing voting laws. And it protected against redistricting meant to minimize the power of Black voters.
November 5, 2025 at 4:32 PM
It had actual teeth too, barring "literacy tests" and other racist Jim Crow laws. It required that states with a history of discrimination get approval from the feds before changing voting laws. And it protected against redistricting meant to minimize the power of Black voters.
Within weeks of the violence, Congress completed and signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, creating a national benchmark for voting protections.
www.archives.gov/milestone-do...
www.archives.gov/milestone-do...
Voting Rights Act (1965)
EnlargeDownload Link Citation: An act to enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States and for other purposes, August 6, 1965; Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 178...
www.archives.gov
November 5, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Within weeks of the violence, Congress completed and signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, creating a national benchmark for voting protections.
www.archives.gov/milestone-do...
www.archives.gov/milestone-do...
“There is no Negro problem," Johnson said. "There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem."
To have such moral clarity today.
To have such moral clarity today.
November 5, 2025 at 4:32 PM
“There is no Negro problem," Johnson said. "There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem."
To have such moral clarity today.
To have such moral clarity today.
Even in the South, @brucespringsteen.net is closely associated with New Jersey, but I could get this:
A kid who wants to get out of their hometown in New Jersey sounds a lot like a kid who wants to get out of their hometown in the South.
www.thelivingsouth.com/why-born-in-...
A kid who wants to get out of their hometown in New Jersey sounds a lot like a kid who wants to get out of their hometown in the South.
www.thelivingsouth.com/why-born-in-...
Why 'Born in the USA' could be the soundtrack of America, again
In the north, south, the midwest, and the west—anywhere someone has ever felt like they were getting ripped off—"Born in the USA" spoke directly to the same disaffected white men who are voting for Pr...
www.thelivingsouth.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Even in the South, @brucespringsteen.net is closely associated with New Jersey, but I could get this:
A kid who wants to get out of their hometown in New Jersey sounds a lot like a kid who wants to get out of their hometown in the South.
www.thelivingsouth.com/why-born-in-...
A kid who wants to get out of their hometown in New Jersey sounds a lot like a kid who wants to get out of their hometown in the South.
www.thelivingsouth.com/why-born-in-...
Me too! Why we sampled it 😀
October 24, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Me too! Why we sampled it 😀
Reposted by Billy Ball
Full video 👇
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLQh...
Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLQh...
Weed, gerrymandering, and political corruption -- Billy Ball Explains NC is back ✊🏻
YouTube video by Cardinal & Pine
www.youtube.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Full video 👇
Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLQh...
Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLQh...