Podcast
Due South
Hosted by Jeff Tiberii, Leoneda Inge · EN
“Due South” is WUNC News’ weekday current affairs radio program and podcast. Broadcast from the American Tobacco Historic District in downtown Durham, co-hosts Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii put life in the Triangle region into perspective and present a unique sense of place.
From interviews with state lawmakers and local luminaries to Friday news roundups with statewide journalists, “Due South” puts current events into context and offers audiences a greater sense of connection. Each hour-long show sparks deeper conversation and understanding of life in and beyond the Triangle.
73episodes
Episodes
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Mecklenburg County’s own Declaration of Independence? Plus, 'New Americans in North Carolina' oral history project
4d ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00Mecklenburg County’s own Declaration of Independence?May 20, 1775, is a date you may recognize from the North Carolina state flag. It represents what was supposedly the first declaration of independence made by any of the 13 colonies involved in the American Revolution. That date was added more than a century ago, but its authenticity was first contested by Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. This conversation originally aired on May 20, 2025.Scott Syfert, author of ‘The First Declaration of Independence? The Disputed History of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775'0:13:00‘We (The People of The United States)’As the United States turns 250 years old, a new book of poetry pays tribute to Black historical figures across the country and the centuries. Poet and professor Joshua Bennett talks with Due South’s Leoneda Inge about his poem “Chapel Hill, North Carolina” for George Moses Horton, the first African American man to publish a book in the South. A version of this conversation originally aired on March 25, 2026.Joshua Bennett, Professor of Literature and Distinguished Chair of the Humanities at MIT and writer of the new poetry collection "We (The People of The United States)"0:33:00‘New Americans in North Carolina’An educator and oral historian with the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources talk about "America 250 NC" and their project about “New Americans in North Carolina.” This conversation originally aired May 18, 2026.Alana Gomez, Educator, America 250 NC, N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural ResourcesJohn Horan, Oral Historian, State Archives of North Carolina, N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources
Transcribe →The history of the Triple Nickles; 'The Legend of Wyatt Outlaw;' 'Well, I Declare'
5d ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00Sharryse Piggott highlights the ‘Triple Nickles’WUNC’s Sharryse Piggott spent weeks reporting on the history of the U.S. Army’s first all-Black WWII paratrooper unit. She spoke with the grandson of unit founder Walter Morris about the groundbreaking work the soldiers pioneered. She talks with Leoneda Inge about the ‘Triple Nickles.’ (This conversation originally aired January 9, 2026.)Sharryse Piggott, WUNC reporter0:13:00A book from UNC Press revives ‘The Legend of Wyatt Outlaw’ For decades, religious groups and everyday community members have gathered in Graham, outside the courthouse, to uplift the name of Wyatt Outlaw. A new book by UNC Press seeks to uncover why Outlaw has been erased from mainstream history books. (This conversation originally aired on January 29, 2026.)Belle Boggs, author and professor of English at North Carolina State University Sylvester Allen Jr., writer, composer and director based in Graham, NC. They are co-authors of The Legend of Wyatt Outlaw0:33:00Well, I Declare celebrates 'America at 250,' North Carolina styleA new production reimagines the Declaration of Independence, as part of a nationwide series of 'America at 250' celebrations. (This conversation originally aired on April 8, 2026.)Dawn Landes, singer, songwriter and Mike Wiley, playwright, actor, assistant professor of Research and Arts, Ethics and Education at Duke University
Transcribe →History writers and a local chef add their reasons, and hesitations, for celebrating America 250
6d ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00Former This American Life producer Sarah Vowell shares the history of Revolutionary War icon, the Marquis de LafayetteVowell was an early contributor to This American Life, before she became a voice actor, and the author of several books. She shares the story of the Marquis de Lafayette’s triumphant and celebratory return to the United States in 1824-25 as the only living general on the side of the American Revolution.Sarah Vowell, was a longtime contributor to This American Life, the voice actor for Violet in the Disney animated series The Incredibles, and is the author of “Lafayette in the Somewhat United States.”A version of this conversation originally aired in April 2026.0:13:00‘John Chavis: Quiet Leader of an Early Revolution’A preacher, teacher and Revolutionary War veteran, John Chavis was a free Black man in North Carolina born a century before Emancipation. Today, we’ll hear about John Chavis’ huge influence and impact, despite the walls built to block him. And how at the end of his life, his livelihood was taken away from him as the rights of free Black men in North Carolina were seized after Nat Turner’s Rebellion.Ben Justesen, writer, and author of chapter “John Chavis: Quiet Leader of an Early Revolution” in the University of North Carolina Press book North Carolina’s Revolutionary Founders 0:33:00Chef Ricky Moore represents the South for America 250Durham chef Ricky Moore sits down with Leoneda Inge to chat what America means to him. Moore was in a group of four chefs who made food for a “Taste of America” celebration by the National Archives Foundation.Ricky Moore, James Beard award-winning chef, the creator and owner of The Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham, and represented the American South for a celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary
Transcribe →Due South's America at 250: Native History in NC
1w ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00Teaching the teachers about Native American historyDr. Brittany Hunt grew up in Robeson County, North Carolina, where there's a large Indigenous population. But when she got to college, she was just one of a few Native students on campus. That’s when she realized how little most people know about Native history and culture – and what they think they know is often flawed and racist. So instead of pursuing her dream of becoming a pediatrician, she became another kind of doctor. Hunt is now an assistant professor at the Virginia Tech School of Education, where she teaches the teachers about centering Indigenous stories and changing how history is taught.(This encore interview originally aired November 13,2023.)Dr. Brittany Hunt, Assistant Professor, School of Education at Virginia Tech0:13:00UNC Chapel Hill professor wins Pulitzer for indigenous history book, ‘Native Nations’Kathleen DuVal’s latest book has been called a “magisterial overview of a thousand years of Native American history.” DuVal’s scholarship on the history of indigenous peoples in America has earned the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for History.(This encore interview originally aired June 10, 2025)Kathleen DuVal, professor of history, UNC Chapel Hill and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America
Transcribe →250 years and counting: North Carolina stories shaping U.S. history
1w ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00NC history told in three-inch lettersNorth Carolina highway historical markers can be seen all across the state — and these markers can make a big difference when it comes to which NC places, historical moments, and people are memorialized and commemorated. Co-host Leoneda Inge talks to Ansley Herring Wegner of the NC Office of Archives and History about how markers are approved and what it takes to get a marker erected and noticed by the public. (This encore interview originally aired August 1, 2024.)Ansley Herring Wegner, Director of Research and Publications, North Carolina Office of Archives and History0:13:00The Broadside: A Nation Unraveled: Clothing in the Civil WarFascinating new research is shedding light on how clothing culture during the American Civil war helped radically transform the nation during its darkest hour. Through the clothes they made, wore, mended, lost, and stole, Americans expressed their allegiances, showed their love, confronted their social and economic challenges, subverted expectations, and, ultimately, preserved their history.This episode of The Broadside was hosted by Anisa Khalifa and edited by Jerad Walker.Sarah Weicksel, author of "A Nation Unraveled: Clothing, Culture, and Violence in the American Civil War Era"0:33:00How the Battleship North Carolina got to its home in WilmingtonSixty-five years ago, a state-wide fundraising effort saved a more than 70 million-pound, 700-foot long behemoth of a WWII warship from being scrapped. The USS North Carolina is now a museum in Wilmington, and it would not have made it there without the contributions of thousands of North Carolina children. The museum has an effort underway to collect the stories of the “kid heroes” who helped save the ship back in 1961. (This encore interview originally aired January 13, 2026.)Dr. Jay Martin, Executive Director, Battleship North CarolinaCamille Williams, fundraised as an elementary school student for the 1961 effort
Transcribe →NC News Roundup live from Greensboro: budget shortfall; aviation developments; future of downtown; plus, the mayor
2w ago00:50:29Tap to summarizeThe Friday News Roundup heads to Greensboro, where there's an $83 million budget shortfall, as well as a recent major aviation development.Hosts Jeff Tiberii and Leoneda Inge speak with a panel of reporters, and local leaders including Greensboro's mayor, and the Co-Founder of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.Broadcasting from the Pyrle Theater in downtown Greensboro.Rachel Crumpler, Reporter NC Health NewsDanny Finnegan, Managing Editor Triad Business JournalJoe Killian, Editor The AssemblyMarikay Abuzuaiter, Mayor of Greensboro, and longtime city councilwoman and entrepreneur Earl Jones, an attorney and Co-Founder of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum
Transcribe →Durham's property tax challenge, and a local "Black queer daddy" goes on RuPaul's Drag Race
2w ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00Charlotte sports fans push to host 2031 Women’s World Cup matchesWhy not Charlotte? One of those fans pushing for Charlotte to get matches says Atlanta isn't the only city in the South that's got a strong sports scene.Miller Yoho, Director of Communications and Marketing for Charlotte Sports0:13:00Durham overcomes budget shortfall after lower than expected property tax resultsLeoneda Inge speaks with with two reporters behind the recent Indy Week article "How $4 Billion Came Off Durham’s Tax Rolls Last Year, Mostly Benefiting Corporate Landlords—and Blowing a Hole in the City Budget."Lena Geller, Reporter for Indy WeekLee Gans, Independent Data Reporter0:33:00Hillsborough father appears on RuPaul’s Drag RaceContent creator and father Jeffrey Williamson-Rose had a big debut on RuPaul’s Drag Race on its season “All Stars Season 11.” Williamson is a Black, queer father based in Hillsborough, NC. He joins Leoneda Inge to discuss Drag Race, Hillsborough, what he enjoyed about being on the show, and what it means to share stories about Queer parents on television.You can watch Williamson-Rose in Drag Race All Stars Jeffrey Williamson-Rose, professor, content creator, photographer, husband and father.
Transcribe →Breaking down 'forever chemicals' in NC rivers. Cape Fear and Haw riverkeepers explain what they're fighting for
2w ago00:50:26Tap to summarize0:01:00‘Forever chemicals’ in NC riversEnvironment reporter Celeste Guajardo shares her latest reporting on PFAS and 1,4 Dioxane in our rivers and drinking water.Celeste Guajardo, environment reporter, WUNC News0:13:00‘I want people to see how beautiful it is, so they see that it's worth fighting for’Two North Carolina riverkeepers talk about efforts to clean up North Carolina rivers, and what drew them to those riverbanks in the first place.Emily Sutton, Haw Riverkeeper and Executive Director of Haw River AssemblyKemp Burdette, Cape Fear Riverkeeper
Transcribe →NC Promise guarantees low tuition at four state universities. Plus, addressing college student homelessness
2w ago00:50:28Tap to summarize0:01:00Elizabeth City State University’s NC PromiseLeoneda Inge visits Elizabeth City State University to explore the impact of the NC Promise program on students and families, including a 62-year-old Gail Mullen.Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, Sr., ChancellorGail Mullen, 62-year-old 2026 graduate, Elizabeth City State University0:13:00NC college leaders on the success of the NC Promise tuition programLeoneda Inge speaks with chancellors of universities that participate in the NC Promise tuition program. As the state-funded initiative nears its 10-year anniversary, Due South checks in on its impact on students and families.Robin Gary Cummings, Chancellor, UNC PembrokeMike Langford, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services, Western Carolina University0:33:00Wake County-based HOST program seeks to address college student homelessnessCollege student homelessnessimpacts14 percent of college students locally and nationally. Housing instability impacts even more students, with nearly 48 percent experiencing uncertainty about where to live at some point during their college career. One organization in Wake County seeks to address the growing need.Mary Haskett, Professor Emeritus Psychology, NC State University; KC Buchanan, Executive Director, HOST (Housing Options for Students Today)
Transcribe →What dismantling the Voting Rights Act means for North Carolina and the South
2w ago00:50:22Tap to summarizeEditor's note: This Due South encore conversation originally aired May 20, 2026.0:01:00What dismantling the Voting Rights Act means for North CarolinaNorth Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Anita Earls discusses the history of the Voting Rights Act and the implications of recent measures to dismantle what remains of the landmark legislation.Anita Earls, North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice0:13:00Two generations of state representatives discuss the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights ActFollowing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to dismantle Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Leoneda Inge speaks to Rep. Valerie Foushee and retired Rep. Eva M. Clayton about the impact and next steps.Valerie Foushee, U.S. representative for North Carolina's 4th congressional districtEva M. Clayton, U.S. representative for North Carolina’s 1st district from 1992-20030:33:00 State Senator Natalie Murdock talks politics in a post-VRA North Carolina State Senator Natalie Murdock discusses the work ahead for Gen Z voters, the first generation in decades to come of age and enter the workforce in a post-Voting Rights Act landscape.Natalie Murdock, State Senator representing North Carolina’s 20thdistrict
Transcribe →