Celebratory Activism: A Media Portrayal of Southern Identity

Celebratory Activism: A Media Portrayal of Southern Identity (Under the Direction of Dr. Mark Dolan) The objective ofthis paper is to investigate the media\u27s role in portraying southern identity and to determine the media\u27s effect on the surrounding communities. It specifically addresses the three media institutions of Thacker Mountain Radio, The Oxford American, and The Southern Foodways Alliance and determines how they represent and celebrate southern culture. The methodology of the paper consists of the assessment of existing literature in the field of the media\u27s depiction of the South followed by case studies on Thacker Mountain Radio, The Oxford American, and The Southern Foodways Alliance. Through interviews and personal testimonies regarding Thacker Mountain Radio, through personal correspondences concerning the editorial mission of The Oxford American, and through examining the specific documentary and new media practices of The Southern Foodways Alliance, this study shows the power that the media can have within a community. As represented by these case studies, the media has the potential to positively affect communities and to unite a diverse culture through celebratory activism. With this realization, this paper argues that Thacker Mountain Radio, The Oxford American, and The Southern Foodways Alliance are three media forces that are positively impacting the South by celebrating, empowering, and strengthening the diversity of the region. These three media institutions exemplify the power that the media has to bring communities together in order to learn from one another and to celebrate the rich connection of a shared southern identity