Sounds Like Hate
Southern Poverty Law Center
Sounds Like Hate is a podcast from the Southern Poverty Law Center that tells the stories of people and communities grappling with hate and searching for solutions. You will meet people who have been personally impacted by hate, hear their voices and be immersed in the sounds of their world. And, you will learn about the power of people to change – or to succumb to their worst instincts. Sounds Like Hate was nominated for two People’s Voice Webby awards in 2022.
Season One takes a deep dive into the realities of hate in modern America: how it functions, how it spreads, who is affected and what people are doing about it.
Season Two examines the distorted history of the Confederacy some people accept as truth and how the people we love the most could be guided toward violent extremist beliefs.
Season Three reveals the harms done to individuals and our democracy by hate and extremism – while also showcasing the hope and resilience of the people fighting back. Hear from the unsung heroes who have pushed back against voter suppression in the South, who have stood up for the rights of trans children in the foster care system and who have taken on the unlawful militias who target migrants, often in cahoots with U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Two of the series in this season were nominated for a prestigious Webby award.
In Season Four, we explore the many manifestations of white supremacy in our current moment – from Confederate memorials to the Jan. 6 insurrection. We begin with a special episode marking the one-year anniversary of the extremist assault on the Capitol, which examines clues scattered openly across the nation by antigovernment networks and white supremacists – and shows how SPLC analysts were sounding the alarm well before the attack. Then, we continue our “Monumental Problems” series by taking you inside Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and its racial reckoning. We investigate how students are impacted by VMI’s dangerous and pervasive glorification of the Confederacy – which casts a long shadow of white supremacy over the school. Student and alumni activists’ demands for change are part of a broader struggle in the South and beyond. The story at VMI is about confronting our nation’s past and the legacy of slavery in order to build a more inclusive democracy for us all.
Season One takes a deep dive into the realities of hate in modern America: how it functions, how it spreads, who is affected and what people are doing about it.
Season Two examines the distorted history of the Confederacy some people accept as truth and how the people we love the most could be guided toward violent extremist beliefs.
Season Three reveals the harms done to individuals and our democracy by hate and extremism – while also showcasing the hope and resilience of the people fighting back. Hear from the unsung heroes who have pushed back against voter suppression in the South, who have stood up for the rights of trans children in the foster care system and who have taken on the unlawful militias who target migrants, often in cahoots with U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Two of the series in this season were nominated for a prestigious Webby award.
In Season Four, we explore the many manifestations of white supremacy in our current moment – from Confederate memorials to the Jan. 6 insurrection. We begin with a special episode marking the one-year anniversary of the extremist assault on the Capitol, which examines clues scattered openly across the nation by antigovernment networks and white supremacists – and shows how SPLC analysts were sounding the alarm well before the attack. Then, we continue our “Monumental Problems” series by taking you inside Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and its racial reckoning. We investigate how students are impacted by VMI’s dangerous and pervasive glorification of the Confederacy – which casts a long shadow of white supremacy over the school. Student and alumni activists’ demands for change are part of a broader struggle in the South and beyond. The story at VMI is about confronting our nation’s past and the legacy of slavery in order to build a more inclusive democracy for us all.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 26, 2021 • 52min
Collateral Damage: Part I
In this episode, we visit Georgia to investigate a devastating new voter suppression law and meet the activists and community members who are fighting its deliberate and calculated suppression of people with disabilities and other marginalized groups.
Oct 19, 2021 • 8min
Sneak Peek: Season 3
In this exclusive sneak peek at Sounds Like Hate’s third season, we travel to the deadliest border crossing in the nation, along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, where undocumented migrants are crossing in record numbers. Humanitarian organizations are attempting to help the migrants, venturing into the Sonoran Desert to distribute food and water – but groups of vigilantes are patrolling the same territory, trying to catch them. While these extremists are not sanctioned by the government, some U.S. Border Patrol agents look the other way or even work in partnership with them.
Jun 9, 2021 • 49min
Monumental Problems: Part III
Stone Mountain, Georgia, sometimes called the “Mount Rushmore of the Confederacy,” is home to one of the largest stone carvings in the world: An image of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson is etched into the side of the mountain. “Monumental Problems,” Part III, focuses on Stone Mountain and the “Lost Cause” narratives still widely spread by powerful families and corporations, and how these falsehoods fan the fires of white nationalism.
Jun 2, 2021 • 48min
Monumental Problems: Part II
In “Monumental Problems,” Part II, Sounds Like Hate producer Jordan Gass-Poore tells a personal story about her Texas Hill Country family. Gass-Poore is the descendant of Confederate veterans, and the choices made by her ancestors generations ago continue to impact the family today. We follow Gass-Poore home to Texas as her family embarks on a painful reckoning with the past.
May 26, 2021 • 50min
Monumental Problems: Part I
“Monumental Problems,” Part I, brings us to Florence, Alabama, where a large Confederate monument has loomed in front of the county courthouse since 1903 – but perhaps not for much longer if community members like Camille Bennett get their say. Bennett is the founder of Project Say Something, a local civil rights organization that is rallying the community to decide the fate of the Confederate statue. We follow Bennett as she travels to Montgomery to speak one-on-one with Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill about community control of public spaces and monuments.
May 21, 2021 • 9min
Baseless Update
Dive into the disturbing world of a violent neo-Nazi group as hosts uncover secret recordings from over 100 applicants. Discover the antics of Rinaldo Nazaro, the group's elusive founder living in Russia, and his attempts to rebrand amidst recent arrests. Listen as they explore the violent tactics of The Base, including a chilling murder plot tied to its Georgia cell. Shocking details reveal animal cruelty tied to ritualistic practices, all while criminal charges mount against members across several states.
May 19, 2021 • 52min
Baseless: Part V
Part five of Baseless continues the story of a young white supremacist and the family members who tried to intervene after it was too late. We also follow a 21-year-old recruit from Massachusetts who was radicalized in high school to explore the phenomenon of white supremacists who tactically switch from one group to the next. This trail leads us to a New England nationalist socialist group that claims they were at the U.S. Capitol insurrection to protect white people.
May 12, 2021 • 49min
Baseless: Part IV
In this chilling discussion, Tristan Webb, a young recruit from The Base, shares his journey into neo-Nazism. He reflects on the influence of conspiracy theories and his early fascination with extremist figures. His family’s struggle with his radicalization is explored, revealing failed interventions and his deepening beliefs through online relationships and subculture influences. Tristan’s accounts of transforming his family farm into a whites-only compound and dismissing the dangers showcase the alarming pull of extremist ideologies.
May 5, 2021 • 8min
Sneak Peek: Baseless Exclusive
In a sneak peek of Season Two’s Baseless, we hear portions of a harrowing conversation with the father of a white supremacist leader who operated The Base’s training compound in Bad Axe, Michigan. Podcast hosts Geraldine Moriba and Jamila Paksima are guided by the compound leader’s father as they tour what remains of the headquarters after an FBI raid. Poring over the remains of the group’s preparations for a race war and the fall of society as we know it, they discuss youth radicalization and white supremacy.
Oct 29, 2020 • 48min
Baseless: Part III
Uncovering murky truths, the hosts delve into the violent world of neo-Nazi groups, focusing on the Base's chilling recruitment tactics. Secret recordings reveal disturbing vetting processes and radicalization paths, illustrating the connections across extremist networks. The discussion highlights law enforcement gaps and the potential for mass violence, alongside community responses to arrests. Insights into motivations for joining these groups and legislative efforts to combat domestic terrorism add depth to this crucial conversation.
