Marijuana reform, baking bread and preserving artistic spaces

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USA TODAY: Marijuana reform, baking bread and preserving artistic spaces

Thursday, July 15

Marijuana reform, baking bread and preserving artistic spaces

A look at where the South stands on marijuana legalization, a baker with a delicious and diverse mission, plus an inspired trip to rural art spaces

Welcome to The American South!

If you're new here, thank you for subscribing and becoming a part of our community where we focus on producing revelatory journalism about the South.

I'm sure by now you've seen the news about this bright young woman, Zaila Avant-gard, who is not only a basketball star but also a Scripps spelling bee champion. We are so proud of this Louisiana native! You can learn more about Zaila here.

Also in Louisiana, we spoke to New Orleans baker Bryan Ford — a rising star in the world of breads. His love of baking started with the classic sourdough but he draws inspiration from his Honduran culture to make delectable breads like pan de coco. Now this social media sensation has his own show on the Magnolia Network!

Deeper in the South, in Brandon, Mississippi, we take a journey to rural parts of the region where creativity is abundant. If you've ever taken a road trip you may have seen one of these places decked out in found objects and vibrant colors by outsider artists. I was so inspired to learn there is a foundation working to preserve these unique spaces.

In other news, according to a recent Gallup poll 68% of Americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana. But where does the South fit into that? We decided to find the answer. You can read more about where Southern states stand on marijuana reform.

Thank you for reading!

Ashley Hopkinson (Editor, The American South)

What's the South talking about?

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Preserving the hidden folk art spaces tucked away in the rural South

The entrance to Pasaquan, a vibrant art environment made over several years by Eddie Owens Martin, known as St. EOM (Pronounced 'om'). The site, located near Buena Vista, Georgia, was restored by the Kohler Foundation and is now overseen by Columbus State University.

Kohler Foundation

If you've ever taken a road trip you may have seen one of these places. They can be found along roadsides or tucked away in residential neighborhoods. They're created by self-taught artists who have not received formal training but are born to create. Their materials are often sourced from found objects. Their gallery walls are their lawns, porches and fencing. 🎨These are definitely the kind of spaces that will make you pull over to snap a picture, and in recent years more foundations are working to preserve them.

Read the full story here

Marijuana reform is slowly taking shape in the South, after years in the making

In this Tuesday, Aug. 6 2019 file photo, Marijuana plants are growing under special grow lights at GB Sciences Louisiana in Baton Rouge, La.

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Marijuana reform is slowly taking shape in the South, after years in the making. That's not to say the South hasn't attempted some reforms. Up until this year, Louisiana and Arkansas were the only states in the South with medical marijuana programs. But recently, Alabama legalized medical marijuana and nearly 70% of Mississippi voters approved a medical marijuana program by a ballot initiative last year (though it was overturned by The Mississippi Supreme Court).

While progressive measures to embrace access to marijuana indicate a significant change in support across the Deep South, our region still lags.

Read the full story here

Afro-Honduran baker Bryan Ford shares imaginative recipes on new Magnolia Network

Bryan Ford stars in the new series "The Artisan's Kitchen" on the Magnolia Network. In this scene, the New Orleans raised baker holds up a beignet.

Courtesy of the Magnolia Network

If you made sourdough during the pandemic as a quarantine boredom buster, chances are you might've come across New Orleans baker Bryan Ford's baking videos. 🍞

The classic bread is a foundation to his career, which took off from Instagram and YouTube and blossomed into cookbooks, a blog and now, a TV series on the Magnolia Network from Chip and Joanna Gaines. But Ford is also setting himself apart by exploring breadmaking traditions from across the globe.

Read the full story here