Rural Narratives
Rural Narratives is a podcast about public health, power, and storytelling in North Carolina’s rural communities.
In this series, we explore how trust is built, how narratives take shape, and how communities shape the systems meant to serve them.
Through conversations with organizers, strategists, cultural leaders, and public health thinkers, Rural Narratives examines who gets to define rural communities — and what it means to reclaim those stories from the inside out.
Rural Narratives
Latest Episodes
How trusted messengers in eastern North Carolina are building faith in public health
Public health depends on science. But science alone doesn’t build trust.In rural eastern North Carolina, trust is shaped by lived experience — by whether systems have shown up, whether care is accessible, and whether people feel heard.
What does it take to strengthen the systems people rely on in southeastern NC?
Health is often talked about as a matter of personal choice. But the truth is, our well-being is shaped by much more than individual decisions — it depends on what resources are nearby, which institutions are supported, and what kinds of help p...
Inside Black rural life: What we miss when these stories aren’t told
Black communities have long been central to rural life in the South, helping shape the culture, economy and civic life of the places they call home.In North Carolina, nearly half of Black residents live in rural counties, reflecting a hi...
How access shapes trust in rural systems
In southeastern North Carolina, residents in Columbus County face some of the steepest challenges to living a healthy life. They consistently have the lowest health outcomes in the state. Like in many rural communities, people have ...