The story of Foreword South began as so often collective action does – a conversation that lead to a calling. The three of us – a social worker, an organizer, and a developer – only recently were thrust into the realities of doing “the work” in the trenches of Alabama’s capital city yet our experiences here were far from new. As two native Alabamians and a transplant from Georgia, we grew up fully
aware of our birthplace’s deeply troubling history and the tensions that persisted even to this day. Over time, however, what we came to learn more about were the fighters – the unsung heroes whose stories were only freckled throughout our historical texts. Their stories had been lost and we decided the next generation of Southern change makers wouldn’t be. Navigating a stifling political climate while mobilizing the agents to promote progressive ideals is no easy task in the conservative hotbeds of the south. Yet, we learned everywhere we turned there were courageous leaders who were committed to the incomplete work of justice for all. We were inspired by their steadfast belief that we could truly reconcile our abhorrent racial tensions, promote and affirm inclusivity and diversity for any and every identity, and ensure young people could see a future here where their own self-expression, passions, and love can thrive freely. It’s the fuel that drove our own work and its fuel that ultimately brought Foreword South to life. On this platform we will use the age-old tradition of storytelling to profile Southern visionaries, activists, designers, artists, and change-makers. Our aim is to paint a new picture of the Southern identity. Each foreword, simply an introduction but never the full story, will have one unifying theme: progress in the face of adversity. These are real southern stories of real southern people. This is Foreword South.
