New Systems of Exploitation
Historians Khalil Muhammad and Risa Goluboff breakdown the legal steps taken to re-enslave southern blacks after the Civil War.
Influential Voices Against Peonage
Historian Pete Daniel tells about the influential voices reaching out to him about peonage.
The Danger of Coal Mines
Historian Khalil Muhammad explains the various dangers in coal mining history.
The Evolution of the Chain Gang
Author Douglas A. Blackmon explains how chain gangs evolved from the convict leasing system.
The Purpose of Terrorism
Descendant Sharon Malone talks about the true purpose of terrorism, its results and why people stayed where they were be persecuted.
The Birth of Jim Crow
Khalil Muhammad describes how the era of Jim Crow and "separate but equal" came into being.
Reflections on History
Descendant Rod Frazer reacts to his ancestor's role in convict leasing during a StoryCorps interview.
Reflections on Emancipation
Descendant Tonya Groomes reflects on how slaves must have felt at the end of the Civil War.
Extended Preview
Discover how Southern States used the criminal justice system after the Civil War to force African Americans to labor against their will. Narrated by Laurence Fishburne.
Reflections on a Company Town
Bobby Clayton explains the commissaries and schools in the company town he grew up in during an interview recorded by StoryCorps.
Reflections on Segregation
Vanessa Cottenham shares her memories of segregation in Montevallo, AL during an interview recorded by StoryCorps.
Pig Laws and Imprisonment
Historian Khalil Muhammad explains the period after reconstruction, the establishment of Pig Laws and how that led to changes in prison populations.
Reflections on Labor
Descendant Rod Frazer remembers the types of labor on WD McCurdy's plantation: slave, free and convict.
Reflections on Jim Crow
Descendant Tonya Groomes talks to her dad about his experiences growing up in the South during an interview recorded by StoryCorps.
Reflections on John S. Williams
Descendant Susan Burnore talks with her cousin Kate about learning the history of her great-grandfather John S. Williams.
The Music Lives On
Southern Storyboard was commissioned by Vulcan Park and Museum to create a film for the museum’s 2011 exhibition The Music Lives On: Folk Song Traditions Told by Alabama Artists, honoring the Year of Alabama Music. This documentary follows three Birmingham folk artists—Lonnie Holley, Richard Dial, and Joe Minter—as they explain how music has inspired their artistry.
Reflections on Integration
Sharon Malone talks about her sister Vivian Malone integrating the University of Alabama during an interview recorded by StoryCorps.
The System of Sharecropping
Historian Mary Ellen Curtin breaks down the emergence of sharecropping and how it came to be.
The Significance of the Chain Gang
Historian Talitha LeFlouria explains the chain gang system, population breakdown and its significance in the South.
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