West Virginia Pride

By Hannah Spencer

Through this disaster I have been reassured that I am proud to be a West Virginian. The folks who make me proud to be a West Virginian are those who haven’t had work since the water crisis, but are still at their local fire departments and churches handing out supplies every day.

The folks who make me proud to be a West Virginian are angry about what has happened to their communities and demand something be done to fix it. The folks who make me proud to be a West Virginian live in unaffected areas, but have still worked every day to collect donations and supplies to send to the affected areas.

West Virginians stay strong no matter what happens. We bond together as tight-knit communities and we help each other through times of need.

Hannah Spencer is an emergency relief organizer and president of educational nonprofit Aurora Lights. She lives in Morgantown, W.Va.