The Front Porch Blog « Appalachian Voices

Tending to Appalachia’s Bright Future

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 | Posted by Cat McCue

A word cloud created from workshops and panel sessions at the conference show the prevalence of positive thinking and themes. Courtesy of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth

I had never been to Harlan County. Sure, I’ve heard the songs, seen the movie, and know the stories, but nothing compares to being there, driving the Kentucky back roads, stopping in local shops, talking to folks.

It’s beautiful country, especially in April with the redbuds blooming and the bright greens of spring blushing up the mountainsides. It’s a friendly place – people went out of their way to make me feel welcome.

It also has more than its share of economic troubles. This is coal country, after all, where big companies haul out the black rock and most of the profits along with it. Harlan County and most of the surrounding counties have a poverty rate in the range of 20 to 28 percent.

This is not news to people living here. They know it, they live it, and they are looking at a million different ways to change it, to create Appalachia’s Bright Future. This was the name of the three-day conference in Harlan, hosted by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth a few weeks ago. It brought together more than 200 people from eastern Kentucky and beyond for an extended conversation about creating a just economy in the region. There was much discussion about what that even means, and while attendees each had a slight variation, several common themes emerged:

1. There is no silver bullet. There is no single industry or company that will turn it all around. Which is a good thing, most agreed, because a root cause of the region’s woes is being too dependent for too long on one industry.

2. There is no magic wand. No one is going to come in “from the outside” to rescue Harlan, or the rest of Appalachia’s’ coal country.

3. It’s about “leadership in place.” The future lies in nurturing home-grown entrepreneurship. Unlike a generation or two ago, young people today want to stay here, and many people who moved away want to return. This profound sense of homeplace was evident throughout the conference.

4. It’s about community and resilience, improving the quality of life and opportunity for everyone, collaborating with neighbors down the street or two counties over so that all can benefit.

5. It’s also about honoring coal miners and their families, those who have sacrificed in untold ways to help build our nation and power our modern lives, who deserve all the opportunity and benefit of a “just economy” as well.

No Comments »

Appalachia & the World

Thursday, December 13th, 2012 | Posted by Molly Moore

The Appalachian Voice typically looks inward, exploring the intricacies of our region.

This time, however, we looked out at the rest of the world to see what Appalachia’s global ties could tell us about the life, history and struggles that take place within these mountains.

Take a moment to flip through the print version or visit our webpage, and let the latest issue of The Appalachian Voice take you around the world and back again.

Our features begin with Global Connections, an introduction by our editor, Jamie Goodman, that showcases Appalachia’s worldly history and busts the myth of the region’s isolation. On the facing page, Finding a Common Language examines how Appalachia’s growing Latino population is striving for, and attaining, integration with mountain communities.

Realizing that Appalachia’s energy future is closely tied to the pulse of the planet, we consider the best available energy forecasts in A Clean(er) World, which looks at how America fits into the future of electricity generation. Our centerspread, Uncharted Waters, features a global map that highlights some of the trends and hot spots in the international energy trade.

No Comments »

Sustaining Healthy Appalachian Communities

Friday, November 16th, 2012 | Posted by Brian Sewell

Editor’s Note: Wendy Johnston is a sixth generation West Virginian from Mercer County and the granddaughter and great granddaughter of coal miners. Her post is the second in a series of guest blogs coinciding with our “No More Excuses” campaign on iLoveMountains.org, where we ask impacted Appalachians why President Obama should make ending mountaintop removal a priority in his second term. We’re happy to feature her story here.

***

"Our plea is this: please quit pitting neighbor against neighbor in a fabricated war against a finite resource, support our sustainable business ventures, invest in the future of our children so that they can stay in healthy Appalachian communities."

“Oh the West Virginia hills how majestic and how grand, with their summits bathed in glory like our Prince Emmanuel’s land. Is it any wonder then that my heart with rapture fills, as I stand once more with loved ones on those West Virginia hills?”

That is a verse from the state song of West Virginia. As a child I can remember feeling so proud every time I sang this song. As a college student living away from my family this song made me feel closer to the hills that seemed so very far away, and as a young mother just moving home after a long absence I could not wait to teach my children the song that would be their state song. Little did I know that one day the words to this song may not be true, that our majestic mountain summits would someday be destroyed and that even our loved ones gone on before us would have their resting places disturbed.

Mountaintop removal has put in jeopardy more than just those mountain summits though. This form of mining has destroyed entire communities, poisoned water systems, polluted our air and caused one of the largest health emergencies in our nation’s history.

No Comments »

Moving Appalachia Forward!

Thursday, November 8th, 2012 | Posted by Brian Sewell

Editor’s Note: As part of the launch of the “No More Excuses” campaign on iLoveMountains.org, we asked people whose lives have been directly impacted by mountaintop removal coal mining to contribute their thoughts on why President Obama should make ending mountaintop removal a priority in his second term.

The first in the series is a reflection by Nick Mullins, who was born and raised in southwestern Virginia and, until recently, worked at an underground coal mine there. Nick is now studying at Berea College in eastern Kentucky and blogs on the web site he created, The Thoughtful Coal Miner.

What are the Appalachian Mountains? Are they simply huge mounds of dirt and rock covered by forests? Are they containers for vast resources of energy and wealth? To my family — who have called the Appalachian Mountains home for ten generations — the mountains are much, much more. The mountains are our life, our heritage and our happiness. They are our shelters, our providers of clean water. They are a place where community and being a neighbor is more than just living beside someone.

Unfortunately, there are also those who see our mountains only as a source of wealth, rather than as part of our homes and our culture. They see them as obstacles to profit, and the people of Appalachia as the labor resource to harvest it.

Every day more blasts are detonated and more miles of freshwater streams are destroyed by mountaintop removal mining operations in the mountains where I was raised. The clean water that families once depended upon is now and forever stained and polluted.

5 Comments »

Larry Gibson 1946-2012

Monday, September 10th, 2012 | Posted by

UPDATE:

Celebrating Larry Gibson: The Life and Legacy of the Keeper of the Mountains

Friends and family of Larry Gibson, the “Keeper of the Mountains,” will celebrate his life and legacy on Sunday, October 14 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium, located on the corner of Virginia and Truslow streets, across from the Charleston Town Center Mall in Charleston, W.Va.

The public is encouraged to attend to help celebrate Larry’s life and legacy, RSVP and invite friends by visiting this facebook event page.

The program for “Celebrating Larry Gibson: The Life and Legacy of the Keeper of the Mountains” will feature family, friends, prominent activists, West Virginia residents, musicians and preachers. This event will be preceded by the annual Changing of the Leaves Music Festival that starts at 1:00 PM on Saturday, October 13th on Kayford Mountain.

For more information on this event and donating or volunteering to help make it happen contact Danny Chiotos with the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation at Danny@Mountainkeeper.org or (304) 205-0920.

On September 13, in a private funeral, Larry was laid to rest on the mountain that he loved.

– - -

The Appalachian Voices family was saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and a champion in the fight to end mountaintop removal, Larry Gibson. We cannot express the extent of our gratitude to Larry, nor can his impact on Appalachia’s mountain treasures and communities be measured. Below are a few words from the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, which Gibson founded in 2004.

Larry Gibson, long-time environmental activist, died of a heart attack Sunday, September 9, while working on Kayford Mountain, the family home in Raleigh County which he spent the last decades of his life protecting from the coal mining practice known as mountaintop removal.

Kayford was the site of Larry’s birth, the final resting place of 300 ancestors stretching back to the 18th century, and the site of Larry’s annual 4th of July festival celebrating life in the mountains. As part of his effort to preserve the mountains, Larry traveled across the country, to schools, churches and a wide range of public gatherings where he spread his simple gospel about the mountains: “Love em or leave em; just don’t destroy em.”

A private funeral is planned, and Larry’s family has requested that persons wishing to express condolences make donations to Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, which Larry founded in 2004 to support mountain communities. A public memorial service will be announced at a later time. Larry is survived by his wife, Carol, two sons Cameron and Larry, Jr. and his daughter, Victoria. He was sixty-six years old.

3 Comments »

Snake Handlers, Strippers and the KKK: CNN’s Portrait of “Everyday Life in Appalachia”

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 | Posted by Matt Wasson

So CNN ran a sensationalized and superficial story built on stereotypes that lacked any news value. Big news, right? Grow up, kid, this is the entertainment business…

That’s an excerpt from the conversation in my head before deciding to write a post about the photo-essay that was posted on the front page of CNN.com on Monday with the teaser image of a burning cross. The link was titled “Everyday Life in Appalachia.”

Teaser Image for CNN's "Everyday Life in Appalachia"Photo Essay

I’ll spare you the righteous indignation and the pages of moralizing that virtually burst from my fingertips and get right to the point of why it’s worth calling attention to this particularly offensive piece of pseudo-journalistic garbage: misleading stereotypes have real world consequences.

16 Comments »

Taking Back Tennessee

Thursday, January 5th, 2012 | Posted by JW Randolph

Team AV Joins Forces to Take Back TN, Push Scenic Vistas Legislation

Almost three years ago, we ran a little piece on Tennessee and coal, exposing coal-industry front group FACES of Coal for the false numbers they were giving to legislators, utilities, and to the public. Of course, a week later Appalachian Voices first broke the story that these “FACES of Coal” were actually just iStockPhotos. Needless to say that we counted it is a small victory when the “FACES” scrubbed Tennessee’s coal information completely from their website. In a sense, the industry was ceding the state to those of us who want to protect our mountains rather than destroy them. But that didn’t mean that the destruction of our mountains has stopped.

Fast forward to 2012, a time when Tennessee has shown bipartisan support for ending mountaintop removal at the state and federal level, with the state legislature seeing action on the Scenic Vistas legislation, Congressional Representatives Cooper (D) and Cohen (D) championing the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1375), and Republican Senator Lamar Alexander introducing federal legislation to curtail valleyfills. Study after study has emerged showing coal’s negative impact on the state budget and on public health. Ending mountaintop removal has become so popular in the Volunteer State that the coal industry even attempted to organize a boycott of the state, which they also failed at. After all, Tennessee is a state where the tourism industry employs more than 175,000 people, magnitudes more than are employed by coal mining in Central Appalachia, or even the entire United States…

No Comments »

Appalachian Treasures Tour Pennsylvania and Ohio: It’s A Wrap.

Thursday, September 29th, 2011 | Posted by Austin Hall

Fresh off the road from a fantastic Appalachian Treasures Tour in Pennsylvania and Ohio, I wanted to take a moment to wrap up the tour with a recap of events.

First of all I wanted to give my profound thanks from the entire Appalachian Voices team and to Adam Hall who joined us on this latest tour. Adam, a native of Raleigh County West Virginia, is a highly decorated veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars (Recipient of: Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart), whose family farm was destroyed by the Edwight mountaintop removal mine in Raleigh County, WV. This sprawling mountaintop removal mine sits above the Marsh Fork Elementary School. He is rapidly becoming leader in the fight to end mountaintop removal coal mining, and I am honored he is willing to take time away from his work with the Friends Of Blair Mountain and the Keepers Of The Mountains to travel with us.

We had a great presentation tour in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Speaking at churches, rotary clubs and local businesses we encountered dozens of caring individuals who upon learning about the horrors of mountaintop removal became instantly energized to join the movement that will put an end to this practice.

We shared the story of mountaintop removal and it’s devastating impacts to communities and the environment of Appalachia to approximately 200 Ohioans and Pennsylvanians. The presentations generated dozens of hand written letters to Representative Steve Latourette (Oh-14), Representative Todd Platts (PA-19), Representative Mike Doyle (PA-14) and Representative Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8) urging them to protect the mountains of Appalachia and co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act HR 1375. Hopefully our efforts and the efforts of our presentation hosts and audiences will result in important new bipartisan co-sponsors to this bill that will help end mountaintop removal!

Thank you so much to all of our hosts, without you these trips would be impossible. We cannot express how much we value those who attend, host and assist these vital presentations.

No Comments »

Blair Mountain Community Center and Museum Opens

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011 | Posted by Jeff Deal

A note from Chuck Keeney, Secretary of the Friends of Blair Mountain:

Since the “March on Blair Mountain: Appalachia is Rising” event, some coal industry executives have claimed that if our preservation efforts succeed and Blair Mountain is spared from mountaintop removal, the “fabric of the community” will be destroyed. We at Friends of Blair Mountain disagree and are putting our words into action.

On September 4, we held the grand opening of the Blair Mountain Community Center and Museum. Located two miles north of the historic battlefield, the facility will serve as a catalyst for community revitalization, education and historic preservation. In addition to museum exhibits, we plan to offer a coal heritage archive for research, a library of relevant books, music collection and films. There will be space for musical performances, activist gatherings, workshops, history tours and some good ole’ Appalachian gatherings of fellowship and fun.

The Blair Mountain Community Center and Museum is a place to display the pride of Appalachian culture and the depth of coalfield heritage while building a healthier, cleaner and more economically diverse Appalachia.

For more information or to learn about how you can help our grassroots efforts, go to www.friendsofblairmountain.org or call our Community Center and Museum staff at (304) 369-9800

You can also read the press release here.

No Comments »

Cry of the Mountain video preview

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 | Posted by Meg Holden

Often the most compelling stories are exactly that—true stories, told from the heart. In the one-woman show Cry of the Mountain, Adelind Horan portrays 13 individuals speaking in their own words about how they have been impacted by mountaintop removal coal mining. Horan interviewed people ranging from miners and mountaineers to scientists and mining executives, and relates their perspectives accompanied by live banjo music.

Horan will be performing Cry of the Mountain in Sweet Briar College’s Babcock Gallery on June 9, 10, and 11 at 7:00 p.m. and June 12 at 2:00 p.m. After each performance, Appalachian Voices’ Virginia Campaign Coordinator Mike McCoy will lead a discussion about mountaintop removal coal mining. A portion of the ticket sales will be donated to raise awareness of and stop mountaintop removal. Tickets are $15 or $7 with a valid student I.D. For more information on Cry of the Mountain, or to purchase tickets, visit endstationtheatre.org. See the video preview on YouTube here.

1 Comment »

Vote for Your Favorite Appalachian Photo

Monday, March 28th, 2011 | Posted by Griff Crews

Interested in seeing some Appalachian Mountain inspired art?

Evolution River by Scott Hotaling, 2010 People's Choice Award recipient

Get out to the Turchin Visual Art Center this week to check out photographs of the amazing culture and scenery of the Appalachian Mountains captured by local photographers. Forty-four images from the 8th Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition are currently on display including five images in the “Our Environmental Footprint” category sponsored by Appalachian Voices.

Be sure to VOTE for your favorite photographer to win the prestigious “People’s Choice Award” as well as $350 from Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters. You can vote for your favorite photograph at a kiosk at the Turchin Center or at www.appmtnphotocomp.org, but make sure to do it before Friday, April 1 at 5pm when voting closes.

In addition to capturing the stunning scenery and culture of this region, The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition helps to subsidize Appalachian State University’s Student Outdoor Learning Expeditions.

If you cannot make it to the Turchin Center this week, the photographs will be on display until June 4.

No Comments »

Resist and Create: lessons learned from Wales

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 | Posted by Jillian Randel

A big thanks goes out to the The Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University for hosting this weekend’s “Appalachia and Wales: Coal and After Coal” symposium. This weekend’s symposium brought together members from both communities face to face.

Wales’ mining industry came to an end in the 1980s. The relationship that has formed between Welsh activists and miners and Appalachians suffering from the same issues, has opened up a dialogue for the two communities to discuss ways that we can learn from one another and help each other out.

A quick review of some of our discussion is below:

No Comments »

Photographer Awarded for Photos on Beauty of Coal Country

Monday, September 6th, 2010 | Posted by Sandra Diaz

Carl Galie, an photographer hailing from Winston-Salem, was recently awarded the first ever Art for Conservation Grant to go towards the printing of his work for public display. He has been very active with Appalachian Voices in our work to end mountaintop removal, both through action online and visiting decision-makers to tell them about his experience taking photos in the Appalachian coalfields.

His series, “Lost on the Road to Oblivion, The Vanishing Beauty of Coal Country” hones in on the beauty of the coalfields in order to highlight the needless destruction of many of the central and southern Appalachian mountains through mountaintop removal coal mining.

According to Galie, “Lost on the Road…” is an attempt to educate the public about mountaintop removal by showing the effects this mining practice is having on our nation’s oldest mountains and the potential impact on watersheds beyond the coalfields. It is also intended to gain support for the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1310) and the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696).”

Galie is looking to exhibit his photos in galleries in North Carolina, since the state is one of the top consumers of mountaintop removal coal.

We appreciate your good work, Carl!

To see Carl’s photography, please visit his website.

1 Comment »

<== Older Posts