As the year comes to a close, we bring you this special episode of Salvation South, where we take a look back on our most popular commentaries aired by GPB Radio in 2025. (Part 2 of 2)

 

Salvation South

I'm Chuck Reece, and I am the editor-in-chief of SalvationSouth.com, and host the Salvation South podcast from Georgia Public Broadcasting. This is the second episode of our special two-parter looking back on the most notable Salvation South commentaries aired by GPB radio in the year 2025. 

This next one is from November and it's one of our favorites. When the Atlanta hip-hop superstars Outkast were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. It was more than just a celebration of the immense talent of Antoine "Big Boi" Patton and "Andre 3000" Benjamin. I believe it was a jubilee for the city of Atlanta and a southern musical revolution that spread around the entire world. 

LISTEN: Southern Life on Planet Outkast (from November 11th 2025)

Andre 3000 (left) and Big Boi (right) of OutKast

Andre 3000 (left) and Big Boi (right) of OutKast

Credit: Collage by Jake Cook

 

This year we celebrated the 249th anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, the 4th of July. Although we currently live in a time that has an uncommon amount of political division, I believe Independence Day does give us all the chance to find a few things that everybody can hope for. In this commentary, I talked about a few of my simple hopes for the holiday. 

LISTEN: Hopes For Independence Day (from July 1st 2025)

Fourth of July

Fourth of July

Credit: Adobe Stock

 

This next commentary originally aired in June. The Associated Press had recently published a story on new academic research about the ongoing disappearance of Southern accents in our region. I don't object to such stories because they are true, but I do think curiosity is rising about what exactly we lose when we lose those accents. 

LISTEN: A Curious Look At The Southern Accent (from June 3rd 2025)

Are Southern accents disappearing?

Are Southern accents disappearing?

Credit: Adobe Stock

 

This next one is from July. The 4th of July weekend also brought news of disastrous flooding in Texas and the Carolinas. The deluge in the Texas Hill Country was one of the deadliest American floods in the past 100 years. I always marvel. At how Southerners and communities that are hit by natural disasters tap into something at the heart of our region's culture, hospitality, to rally and help people. And not just to help with immediate needs, but to help people heal when the storms pass. 

LISTEN: After The Floods (from July 8th 2025)

A person looks at damage to the main building at Camp Mystic, along the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas. A flash flood swept through the area in the early hours of July 4, 2025. Climate change is making heavy rain more common, leading to more flood risk in much of the U.S.

A person looks at damage to the main building at Camp Mystic, along the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas. A flash flood swept through the area in the early hours of July 4, 2025. Climate change is making heavy rain more common, leading to more flood risk in much of the U.S.

Credit: Associated Press

 

We've only got one left to go and it's a deep one. As editor and chief of Salvation South, I spend almost all my time thinking and writing about the American South. But sometimes my mind starts wrestling with far bigger questions than what we southerners read, listen to, or eat. This leads to frustration, but sometimes to a good lesson.

LISTEN: A Little Speck of Dust (from April 29th 2025)

We're just specks of dust on the windshield of the universe.

We're just specks of dust on the windshield of the universe.

Credit: Adobe Stock

Salvation South editor Chuck Reece comments on Southern culture and values in a weekly segment that airs on GPB Radio. Salvation South Deluxe is a series of longer Salvation South episodes which tell deeper stories of the Southern experience through the unique voices that live it. You can also find them here at GPB.org/Salvation-South and wherever you get your podcasts.