Poverty in West Virginia

1. Poverty in West Virginia Depleted Mountains, Defeated People

2. “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

3. 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. A Bit of History...

4. 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? The Coal-olution in West Virginia

5. Don West and the Appalachia South Folklife Center • 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 create • a program to promote the revival of Appalachian culture through music and • social 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

6. Mountain Boy • You are more than a dirty child • In patched overalls. • You mountain boy…! • The hills are yours, • The fragment forests, • The silver rivers • Are your heritage. • Dreamers. Thinkers. • Rise up, young hillmen • Sing 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 blood • Made it rich. • His sweat has caused fruit to grow. • Sift the coarse soil • Between your fingers. • Exult when its runs between your toes • Through brogan shoes • As you follow the plow. • Yours is the poet’s life. • You rhyme the soil, • Dig and plant • And watch the corn grow. • You are the heart of a nation --- • Even America. • O farmer boy, • Rise up! • Sign your songs, • Live your life • Even as you know how! • - Don West, from no lonesome road: selected poems and prose

7. 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 John Wyatt’s Story

8. “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 Lessons and Solutions From John’s Story

9. But there is hope! 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.

10. Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip Photo credit: Robin Gross

11. Photo credit: Ali Lapides (below) Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip Photo credit: Lizzie Brami (above)

12. Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip Photo credit: Robin Gross

13. Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip Photo credit: Lizzie Brami

14. Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip Photo credit: Lizzie Brami

15. Proof that Bethany did work!!! Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip Photo credit: Nina Rich

16. Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip Photo credit: Lizzie Brami

17. Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip Photo credit: Ali Lapides

18. Appalachian South Folklife Center Service Trip Photo credit: Lizzie Brami