Poverty in West Virginia

Depleted Mountains, Defeated

People

“Given his local roots and his business acumen, he might have helped West Virginia turn toward the future and imagine itself as something more than a landscape to be raped and pillaged by greedy industrialists.”

--- statement about Don Blankenship in “The Dark Lord of Coal Country” in the December 9, 2010 issue of Rolling

Stone

A Bit of History...

-Different Native American tribes inhabited the land, starting as early as 100 CE --- there are currently 12,500 archaeological sites in West Virginia.

- In 1791, George Washington surveyed the land and recorded that there were trees 14 feet in diameter and over 200 feet tall! Washington reported that only a few people, mostly German immigrants, were currently living in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia

- In 1861, the area now known as West Virginia seceded from the Confederate Virginia --- the only state to do this during the American Civil War.

-At the end of the Civil War, interest in West Virginia’s coal resources began sprouting with the impending Industrial Revolution in the North.

The Coal-olution in West Virginia

Who was in charge of the coal mines? Who was working in the coal mines?

How did coal contribute to the West Virginia economy?

What effect did the coal industry have on the natural environment?

What is mountaintop removal? Why is it being done in southern Appalachia today?

What effect did the coal industry have on the culture of Appalachia?

What role does coal currently play in West Virginia?

-Don West grew up in Kentucky as the son of a coal miner-West was a poet and an activist in the Civil and Labor Rights Movement - In 1965, Don and Connie West bought 100 acres of land on a mountain in Pipestem, WV

- Built an intentional community for people to come and live - Accused by locals of operating a “commune” and being a

“communist”- In order to redeem the center’s name, Don and Connie

decided to createa program to promote the revival of Appalachian culture

through music andsocial engagement

- Although both are now deceased, the Appalachian South Folklife Center still operates under the Wests’ mission to revive Appalachian culture and contribute to the larger community

Don West and the Appalachia South Folklife Center

You are more than a dirty childIn patched overalls.You mountain boy…!The hills are yours,The fragment forests,The silver riversAre your heritage.

Dreamers. Thinkers.

Rise up, young hillmenSing your ballads,Dream your future.Up and down the valleys,Over the ridge-roads.Climb your jagged mountains.Gaze into blue space…Turn your thoughts free.Nourish your imagination.

What will you do for your hills,You mountain boy?

Love the soil.Your father’s bloodMade it rich.His sweat has caused fruit to grow.Sift the coarse soilBetween your fingers.Exult when its runs between your toesThrough brogan shoesAs you follow the plow.Yours is the poet’s life.You rhyme the soil,Dig and plantAnd watch the corn grow.You are the heart of a nation ---Even America.

O farmer boy,Rise up!Sign your songs,Live your lifeEven as you know how!

- Don West, from no lonesome road: selected poems and prose

Mountain Boy

John Wyatt’s Story-Grew up on a farm in Northern Kentucky, Appalachia-Went to school in a one-room school house in Kentucky-When he was 13, he saw a news report about the “poor coal miners in Southern Appalachia” that changed his life-Traveled anywhere but Appalachia --- looking to be something more than poor; Cincinati, Chicago, Boston, New York, France, England, etc. -Found, throughout his travels, that he was missing something about Appalachia-“Only in Appalachia can you buy a land from your neighbor with a handshake as your contract.” ---John Wyatt-Returned to Appalachia and married one of the girls from his one room school house; had four children and eventually ended up in West Virginia-Now runs a nonprofit --- the Appalachia Christian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which works to educate young Appalachians about their culture and music

Lessons and Solutions From John’s Story-“Poor” is a word we use to label the Other

-Poverty can be just as damaging a concept as it is a label

-To eliminate poverty anywhere, we cannot simply pump money into the system --- the culture and mindset of the effected society has to change as well

Organizations like the Appalachian South Folklife Center and John’s organization---Appalachian Cultural Heritage Foundation---are actively working to revitalize the environment and culture of Appalachia.

Applachian South Folklife Center’s mission is to educate the children of Appalachia about their culture and teach their community about environmental responsibility.

The Appalachian Cultural Heritage Foundation is currently organizing an oral history project to use to educate Appalachian children about their culture. These organizations are run by the people, for the people, for the environment.

But there is hope!

Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip

Photo credit: Robin Gross

Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip

Photo credit: Ali Lapides (below)

Photo credit: Lizzie Brami (above)

Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip

Photo credit: Robin Gross

Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip

Photo credit: Lizzie Brami

Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip

Photo credit: Lizzie Brami

Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip

Photo credit: Nina Rich

Proof that Bethany did work!!!

Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip

Photo credit: Lizzie Brami

Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip

Photo credit: Ali Lapides

Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip

Photo credit: Lizzie Brami