Introduction

Abstract

Introduction Hilda Kurtz and Deepak Mishra Dear Readers, We are delighted to introduce the latest issue of Southeastern Geographer, which also marks the beginning of our tenure as editors. This issue contains a very thoughtful special forum on the Charleston massacre of June 2015. Five short essays by seven geographers reflect on the implications of the murder of nine African Americans attending bible study in church by a self-proclaimed white supremacist. Different lenses on the tragedy dovetail in compelling ways. We hope that the forum encourages reflection and perhaps debate about how to understand and respond to ongoing racial violence. The special forum is followed by five articles showcasing the diverse nature of our discipline from human to physical geography. Tyner’s article analyzes the speeches of Malcolm X to draw out new understandings of the Black freedom fighter’s legacy. Specifically, Tyner urges readers to rethink Malcolm as at once “a critical theorist of geography and a radical political philosopher.” He focuses on Malcolm’s attention to geographies of the South in the latter’s geopolitical philosophy. Malcolm’s geographical critiques de-emphasized Southern exceptionalism, Tyner shows, and argued that “racial oppression and exploitation were constitutive of U.S. society as a whole.” Markley and Sharma examine the politics surrounding a residential building demolition in suburban Roswell, Georgia as a case of revanchist (sub)urbanism in which working class, nonwhite residents are displaced in the name of revitalizing suburban space. This intriguing case study considers such changes in the suburban landscape in tension with ideas of (sub)urban entrepreneurialism and New Urbanism. Hardy, Hepinstall-Cymerman, and Fowler partnered with two local land trusts to develop a priority map for conservation easement recruitment in the Upper Oconee watershed in northeastern Georgia. In the U.S., more than half of threatened and endangered species and their habitats are estimated to be located on private land, yet few land trusts have the staff and technical skills necessary to conduct conservation assessments of their jurisdictions. Their study provides a framework for partnerships between academic researchers and land trusts working on increasing the effectiveness of private land conservation. Kennedy investigated the possible impact of breached historic mill ponds in the southern Blue Ridge region in terms of their potential to act as sediment sources, elevating regional sediment yield values. Her study demonstrated that small mill ponds were potentially scattered throughout the southern Blue Ridge, impounding low-order streams (2nd and 3rd), and that the abandonment and breaching of these dams resulted in the remobilization of sand-, silt-, and clay-sized particulates. [End Page 3] Brown, Ellis, and Bleakney assessed tornado frequency characteristics and vulnerability within 100 km of three major cities in Tennessee—Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville. In the past ten years, Tennessee has recorded the highest number of tornado-related fatalities of all states. They found that three cities experienced an annual peak in tornadoes during the spring months; however, tornadoes in Memphis were spread out across more tornado days than in Nashville and Knoxville. Memphis also recorded the greatest number of fatalities among the three cities. Their study help provide insight on how tornado characteristics and associated vulnerability are changing on a regional scale. In short, the articles in this issue demonstrate the rich breadth of inquiry that makes contemporary academic geography so invigorating. We welcome your feedback. Best regards, Hilda Kurtz and Deepak Mishra MEET THE TEAM Greetings Members of SEDAAG, As in the incoming editors of Southeastern Geographer, we would like to introduce ourselves and our vision for the journal, and invite you to contribute in many ways and sundry to SEDAAG’s flagship regional journal. It is a privilege and an honor to continue in the footsteps of past editors Jim Wheeler, Derek Alderman, Scott Lecce, Graham Tobin, Robert Brinkmann, David Cochran, and Andy Reese. Their hard work and savvy innovations, including the move to quarterly publication, the linkage with UNC Press, the inclusion in Project Muse, and the publication of timely and well-received special issues, have positioned the journal as the most cited regional geography journal out there. We wish to thank the SEDAAG leadership for entrusting us to manage Southeastern Geographer for the...