Scalawag – Reckoning with the South

Southern politics

The Southern Truth About Communism

On April 17—notably, the anniversary of the failed, anti-communist fueled Bay of Pigs Invasion—Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill requiring K-12 public schools to teach students about "the evils and dangers" of communism. According to DeSantis, an anti-communist education is necessary for grade school children and will serve as a deterrent against radicalization later…

by Tea Troutman and Sherronda J. Brown

Arts & Soul

Rest is Not Resistance, and That is OK

On Cancer, Grief, & Audre Lorde

the night my Gramma died. I received a call around 11 p.m. the night my Gramma died. I immediately knew what the buzzing on my nightstand meant for my world from then on. That knowing prevented me from answering the phone. One, I wanted to hold onto my grandmother for one more night. Two, getting…

by Trey Washington

Race & Place

Boiling on the Inside

Incarcerated People in Texas Weather Extreme Heat in non-Air Conditioned Prisons

This essay mentions suicide. "Don't call it air-conditioning; It's a cooling system!" A guard yells to my escorts, referring to the month-old, temporary, external tubular system that seldom works. And on the rare occasions it does, it only maintains an in-cell temperature of 85°F. Daily, the heat index has been north of 110°, and it…

by Kwaneta Harris