Institute For Southern Studies - History and Background

History and Background

The Institute was founded in 1970 by veterans of the U.S. civil rights movement, including Julian Bond, a leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and Howard Romaine and Sue Thrasher, veterans of the Southern Student Organizing Committee. The founders believed a research and education institute was needed to help continue the momentum of 1960s movements for equality and justice, while moving into new areas such as labor rights, environmental protection and democratic reform.

In 1973, the Institute began publishing Southern Exposure, a journal that became known for its investigative reporting into Southern power-brokers and its oral histories of Southerners involved in social change movements.

In 2000, the Institute began publishing an email newsletter named Facing South. The newsletter highlights important news stories in the South and typically also includes a piece of progressive political analysis, as well as "The Institute Index," statistics on a particular issue or theme.

In 2005, the Institute launched an online blog, also called Facing South, which now averages more than 50,000 visitors a month.

Since 2000, the Institute's executive director has been Chris Kromm, who has worked in the South as a journalist and public interest advocate since 1992. Current staff also include Sue Sturgis, Editorial Director; and Jerimee Richir, New Media Organizer.