Introduction from the Editorial Team

The publication of issue 62.3 (Fall) marks nearly the three-fourths point of our term as an editorial team. An advertisement for the position of the next editor(s) of Southeastern Geographer has already been disseminated with the anticipation that the new editorial team will start their responsibilities in the summer of 2023. The journal, which had its first issue published in 1961, has served as an outlet for scholarly research from early- through late-career scientists focusing on geographical studies of the American South. The journal’s principal foci have been twofold: 1) to help develop potentially interesting research to make it publishable, timely, and relevant to a broad audience; and 2) to serve as a medium that promotes and documents the activities of SEDAAG (https://sedaag.org/) members. Included in this issue is a compilation of ten essays from former colleagues and friends that recognize the scholarly work, mentoring, and kindness of the late Dr. Bobby Wilson. In reading through the essays, a great appreciation of Dr. Wilson’s contributions emerges, and it is wonderful that the journal can serve as a forum to publish these essays. This issue also includes a cover image of Atlanta and an accompanying essay about the city by Eric Spears and Jordan Brasher of Columbus State University as background information for the upcoming SEDAAG meeting that will be held in Atlanta on November 19–22, 2022. Finally, each year the Fall issue of Southeastern Geographer includes recognition of SEDAAG members for outstanding service and scholarship contributions in a summary of the previous Annual Meeting activities. We hope that the incoming editorial team will continue the traditions of Southeastern Geographer.

In addition to the Forum honoring the late Dr. Bobby Wilson, issue 62.3 includes three articles, summarized below, and two book reviews. We are grateful for the contributions made by these authors and the constructively critical comments offered by the reviewers that improved these high-quality papers. As always, please consider submitting your work to Southeastern Geographer as we are committed to facilitating a thorough review process conducted in a timely manner.

Based on Mississippi being one of the hardest-hit states with respect to COVID-19, Ali et al. utilized the CDC’s social vulnerability index (CDC SVI), geographic information systems (GIS), and linear regression to examine the spatial pattern of COVID-19 and its association with social determinants of health. Unlike many other studies that use the CDC SVI, Ali et al. focus on the local scale rather than the national scale, specifically by investigating COVID-19 incidence and mortality at Mississippi’s county scale. The CDC SVI offers a relative vulnerability ranking based on four subthemes. The researchers did observe a spatial association between the CDC SVI and COVID-19-related health outcomes. In particular, there was a statistically significant association between the SVI and cumulative mortality, while the SVI subtheme household composition and disability predicted higher incidence. Their overall findings help illustrate the dynamic nature of pandemics and how vulnerability may change over spatiotemporal scales.

Higgins and Engle examine the Appalachian Just Transition and analyze two community food initiatives within the context of the Just Transition: a community-based gardening program and a produce prescription program (PPP). They investigate whether these programs maintain existing unjust systems or strive for a more equitable, sustainable future. They employ compassionate scholarship, propose the use of an evaluative approach, and make recommendations based on their findings. Overall, the programs did strive to address the lack of access to fresh and healthy food in their communities but were limited by systemic constraints which hindered their ability to make lasting changes.

Smith and Blizard quantitatively examine the relationship between municipal incorporation and Black-White segregation in the southern United States between 1990 and 2010. They utilize the U.S. Census Bureau’s definition of the South and employ two modeling techniques: difference regression and spatial lag first difference regression. They found high levels of municipal incorporation in counties within Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Alabama and increasing levels of Black-White segregation in several states...