Re: "Southern accent" or "Southern speech". There are multiple videos/articles/programs etc. available on this topic. I'd
start with reading this one. There's a segment of our profession (speech-language pathology) that treats "dialect" or "accent reduction".
So, bias against "Southern speech" = racist? Perhaps not. But discriminatory? Evidence says yes.
GWTW seems an interesting choice in the context of this thread, IMO. Would strongly recommend that Ms. Deen read and study
To Kill a Mockingbird for starters. She will now have plenty of free time, apparently.
“I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.” Harper Lee.