Handing Off and Holding On: Melungeon Identity and Appalachia

By AV's Intern Team | February 7, 2014 |

By Kimber Ray Attempting to trace the origin of the Melungeon people is akin to pursuing the source of the Cumberland River coursing through their historical territory. Like the waters of the Cumberland Gap, where neighboring streams weave through Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia to meet among the rolling crests of the Appalachian Mountains, the Melungeons…

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Whitewashing Reality: Diversity in Appalachia

By AV's Intern Team | February 7, 2014 |

By Rachel Ellen Simon The United States may be thought of as the good ol’ “Red, White, and Blue,” but in the minds of many, Appalachian America is simply “white, white, white” — racially, that is. The stereotype of Appalachia as a strictly white Anglo-Saxon region has been perpetuated by journalists, novelists, social scientists, and…

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Adapting Farms to Face the Climate Challenge

By AV's Intern Team | June 20, 2013 |

By Brian Sewell Around the world, farmers are arguably the first to feel the impacts of climate change, and of all the systems put at risk, food may be the most fragile. Some of the largest grain and livestock producing states are still recovering from last year’s drought-stricken season. And forecasts for this summer are…

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