Southern Resiliency : rural health workers, weather crises and more

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Everything about the winter storm that hit parts of the region last week made me think about the resilience of people in the face of hardship and where and when we need to hold leaders accountable.

I continue to be amazed by the strength and ingenuity of people. Sometimes it's rebuilding where they were once flooded while wearily pushing for change like the residents of Louisiana's Pecan Acres. Other times, it's working through brave conversations about race as friends and business partners like John O. Morisano and chef Mashama Bailey, who run The Grey, a Savannah restaurant located in a once segregated bus station. In our present moment, it's also the commitment of our medical professionals in the South, particularly doctors in rural communities that are already under-resourced.

I hope these stories inform you and that you find a thread of hope.

Thanks for reading!

Ashley Hopkinson

(Editor, The American South)

P.S. A cookbook that celebrates the creativity of Black chefs and a St. Jude worker and cancer survivor going to space!

What's the South talking about?

Flood City: Louisiana prepares to move neighborhood after 50 years of floods

Pecan Acres in Louisiana has flooded at least 17 times, according to state officials. Longtime residents, though, estimate the total to be much higher. Jimmy Laurent Jr., the Pointe Coupee Parish Assessor, compared the nearby Portage Canal to “trying to contain the Mississippi River.” Now, it seems help is finally on the way. Read more here.

How one healthcare group is addressing vaccine access in rural Alabama

The COVID-19 vaccine supply in Alabama is still limited. There are 288,486 available vaccine doses in Alabama and close to 4.5 million people in the state have not been vaccinated. In rural areas of the state where healthcare resources are strained, vaccines are more difficult to store, distribute and track. Read more here.

Let's talk food and restaurant ingenuity

Restaurants have been hit hard during the pandemic. A roller coaster of restrictions have been imposed, relaxed and then imposed again. The National Restaurant Association estimates 110,000 restaurants have closed. To avoid going broke, restaurants have pirouetted from one stopgap measure to another. The changes are swift and innovative. Read more here.

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