This is a recut version of the very first episode of SouthBound, which we put into the world on Nov. 15, 2017. Our guest for this first episode was Harvey Gantt, a longtime pioneer in civil rights in the Carolinas.
Gantt was involved in sit-ins as a high school student. He was the first black student at Clemson, then the first black mayor of Charlotte. He made two runs at Jesse Helms’ seat in the U.S. Senate, narrowly losing both times.
As I listened back to our conversation from two and a half years ago, it was easy to hear the echoes of the upheaval we’re going through now. Harvey Gantt has seen and heard it before. And he learned how to survive and succeed.
Let's keep the conversation going. Who do you want to hear from next on the SouthBound podcast?
Submit your idea in the box below. You can also send a tweet to @tommytomlinson or @wfae, and email me at ttomlinson@wfae.org.
Show notes:
- The African American museum named for Gantt in uptown Charlotte
- The bio of the Gantts from Clemson
- The infamous "hands ad," which swung the 1990 Senate race between Gantt and Jesse Helms
New episodes of SouthBound come out every other Wednesday. Subscribe:
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SouthBound is a production of WFAE. Our host is Tommy Tomlinson. Our audience engagement manager is Joni Deutsch, and our main theme comes from Josh Turner.
