Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
Explore the Archive
The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
Filter by Topic
Filter by Outlet
Search by keywords
Filter by State
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
-
How to Find Black Farmers in Your Area and Support Them
April 08, 2026
With the federal government consistently eliminating resources, Black farmers are encouraging their communities to shop local.
-
Georgia Is Letting a Railroad Seize Land a Black Family Has Owned For 100 Years
February 19, 2026
Descendants of enslaved people are fighting an attempt to use eminent domain to carve a spur through one of Georgia’s largest Black‑owned farms.
-
A Rural South Carolina County Quietly Approved a $2B Data Center During the Winter Storm
February 04, 2026
Data centers are the nation’s fastest-growing energy demand driver, but developers are using nondisclosure agreements to keep projects hidden.
-
For Rural Black Communities, Winter Storm Fern Hits Where Recovery Never Finished
January 26, 2026
As temperatures plunge, rural Black towns face days without power. Some are still rebuilding from the last catastrophe.
-
Jamaican Americans Mobilize After the Island’s Worst Hurricane in a Century
October 30, 2025
Much of Jamaica’s southern coast, its agricultural “breadbasket,” remains underwater after more than 2 feet of rain.
-
The Black Women Driving a Food Revolution in Rural Mississippi
September 29, 2025
From grocery stores to food distribution services, Black women are leading efforts to feed their communities.
-
Black Student Found Hanging at Delta State. Police Say No Foul Play.
September 16, 2025
A Black college student who was found hanging from a tree on his school’s campus in Mississippi was not the victim of foul play law enforcement officials said, countering online speculation that he was the victim of a lynching.
-
Mississippi Blues Elders Are Still Here. This Festival Is Making Sure You Hear Them.
September 05, 2025
In the birthplace of the blues, Clarksdale Mayor Orlando Paden keeps his father’s legacy and festival alive.
-
The Army Took Their Land. Decades Later, This Black Community Still Wants It Back.
September 04, 2025
Today, Harris Neck is a 2,824-acre peninsula preserved by the federal government in rural McIntosh County, Georgia, about 30 miles south of Savannah. But for generations it was a land maintained by the Gullah Geechee.
-
Black Alabama Mayor Once Blocked by White Town Leaders Wins Reelection
August 26, 2025
For the first time in the majority-Black town’s history, residents participated directly in the democratic process.
-
Medicaid Cuts Endanger Life-Saving Care for Black Families in Rural America
August 08, 2025
Advocates and experts warn that the rollbacks could have a drastic impact on public health in Black communities.
-
The Fight to Be Believed: Long COVID’s Toll on Black Americans
May 05, 2025
Black people made up about 32% of long COVID cases, one study found, but are “not being taken as seriously,” said one patient.
-
‘Sinners’ Honored Juke Joints. Today, They’re Fighting to Stay Open.
April 25, 2025
While the new film celebrates the complexities of Black life through juke joints, these sacred spaces in the rural South are nearing extinction.
-
This Georgia Case Could Decide the Future of Gullah Geechee Land on Sapelo Island
April 16, 2025
Residents have been in a fight with county leaders over their voting rights and zoning changes that threaten to lead to displacement.
-
America’s Digital Demand Threatens Black Communities with More Pollution
February 25, 2025
The collective costs of artificial intelligence and data centers are disproportionately harming Black households.
RURAL NEWS SPOTLIGHT
Sign up to receive our occasional newsletter, Rural News Spotlight. Read a recent issue here.