Due South

“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.

  1. 3 HRS AGO

    An obituary for K&W Cafeteria. Plus, how an immigrant from Japan became the eyes of the American conservation movement

    0:01:00 Food & Wine Editor Kat Kinsman remembers K&W CafeteriaKat Kinsman’s favorite chain restaurant, and one of Leoneda Inge’s favorites, was a unique spot with a rotating menu of southern staples, including fried okra, congealed salads, and a dizzying number of pies. (This Due South encore presentation originally aired February 11, 2026.) Kat Kinsman, Executive Features Editor at Food & Wine and host of its Tinfoil Swans podcast. Read Kat's full story "The Last Tray at K&W Cafeteria." 0:13:00 ‘The curious case of George Masa’The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail form the backbone of the easternportionof the US National Parks system. Together, they welcome 15 million visitors every year. But theylikely wouldn'texist as we know them today, if itweren'tfor the work of a pioneering photographer in North Carolina named George Masa. This week, we find out how an immigrant from Japan became the eyes of the American conservation movement and unearth the dark secrets that motivated his life’s work.  This episode of The Broadside was hosted by Anisa Khalifa and produced by Jerad Walker. More from The Broadside and ‘The curious case of George Masa’ Paul Bonesteel, documentary filmmakerand co-author of the book George Masa: A Life Reimagined Mami Kikuchi, researcher and translator 0:33:00 ‘Our Common Nature’ podcast explores journey to restore mountain’s Cherokee name“Our Common Nature” podcast host Ana González goes on a musical and historical journey through the Smoky Mountains with cellistYoYoMa. Ana tells the story of Lavita Hill, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and her quest to restore the Cherokee name to the tallest mountain in the Smokies. (This Due South encore presentation originally aired November 12,2025.) Ana González, host, “Our Common Nature”

    50 min
  2. 18 MAY

    Mecklenburg County’s own Declaration of Independence? Plus, 'New Americans in North Carolina' oral history project

    0:01:00 Mecklenburg 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. 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.” Alana Gomez, Educator, America 250 NC, N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources John Horan, Oral Historian, State Archives of North Carolina, N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources

    50 min
  3. 14 MAY

    NC prisons' dire funding shortage. Former inmate Kerwin Pittman on buying a prison

    0:01:00 North Carolina’s prisons face a crisis of staffing and fundingNorth Carolina’s 55 prisons are operating at minimum staffing, in a steep funding deficit. The state’s Department of Adult Correction is in need of an updated budget that accounts for the growing and aging prison population. WUNC News’ Colin Campbell updates Due South on the current state of the carceral system. This Due South encore conversation originally aired April 15, 2026.  Colin Campbell, Capital Bureau Chief, WUNC News 0:13:00 Former inmate and recidivism reduction activist Kerwin Pittman’s journey to success Kerwin Pittman spent more than 11 years in the North Carolina prison system. With the support of family, he was able to navigate the re-entry process upon his release, becoming a recidivism reduction activist in the process.  Eight years after his release, Pittman has become the first formerly incarcerated person in the United States to purchase a prison campus. This Due South encore conversation originally aired April 15, 2026.  Kerwin Pittman, founder of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services, Inc. 0:33:00 The creators of 'Ear Hustle,' the first podcast produced in prisonEar Hustle is the first podcast produced in prison. It’s brought stories from life inside to international audiences. It’s been a finalist for two Pulitzer Prizes.  Jeff Tiberii talks with the creators, Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor. This Due South encore conversation originally aired August 6, 2025. Earlonne Woods, co-host of the Ear Hustle Podcast, which he started while serving 31 years to life at San Quentin State Prison in 2017 Nigel Poor, visual artist and co-host of Ear Hustle

    50 min

About

“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.

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