So we are "discovered" again. It’s happened every generation, sometimes more often, since the Civil War.
-Don West, Romantic Appalachia: Poverty Pays If You Ain't Poor, 1972
If you live in the States or have been following our news, you may have heard about #Appalachia. From the "Trump Country" title we earned based on our votes in the Presidential election to the way national changes in health policy and economics are impacting our communities, we've been in the news a lot. But as Don West said in the quote above, this isn't the first time we've been "discovered."
Despite our newfound popularity, there's not much about us on Steemit yet. Here's a brief intro to resolve that!
Owsley Fork in Berea, Kentucky, shows a slice of the region's beauty from the edge of Appalachia
Now, I'm an Appalachian, born and raised, but I'm by no means an ~objective authority~ on the subject. If you want some other sources, I'd suggest asking an Appalachian-- here's a round-up of the one's I've found on Steemit so far!
At its most basic, Appalachia is a geographic and cultural region that spreads out from the beautiful and ancient Appalachian Mountains, which run from Canada to Alabama. There's some debate about who and what belongs to Appalachia, but many agree that the Appalachian Regional Commission's definition is a good place to start. You've got Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina in Central Appalachia, and can add everything from southern New York state to northern Mississippi if you're feelin' frisky. Here's what the ARC says Appalachia looks like.
Things get a little hairy from there. Lots of people like to focus on Appalachia's culture, from coal mining to old-time music to a strong agricultural tradition empowered by our legendary biodiversity. There are plenty of other stereotypes, but the region's so large and complex that they often contradict. For example, there are lingering myths about Appalachia's racism, which are based in fact-- the land was stolen from Native Americans, after all, and there was more than enough segregation, lynchings, and other atrocities throughout Appalachia and across the States.
Yet at the same time, the immaculate bell hooks, a groundbreaking black feminist theorist and proud Kentuckian, remembers her time in the mountains differently. In her essay Kentucky is my Fate, she writes:
Folks who lived in the hills were committed to living free. Hillbilly folk chose to live above the law, believing in the right of each individual to determine the manner in which they would live their lives. Living among Kentucky mountain folk was my first experience of a culture based on anarchy. Folks living in the hills believed that freedom meant self-determination.
This anarchic side of the region has always held a special place in my heart. From my days playing make-believe in the woods as a kid to my current efforts to change and develop the economy in my local community, the intersection of culture, politics, history, and economics is unlike any I've found elsewhere.
But, if you want to know more, you should come see for yourself, or ask an Appalachian about their experience!
A photo by Matt Robinson of Pittsburgh, the Paris of Appalachia
It's undeniable that the States and the world are in a time of great transition, and, as I mentioned in the opening, nowhere is this more evident than in the mountains of Appalachia. I've heard it claimed that we're at the frontline of a lot of structural shifts that will shape the next quarter of the 21st Century. It is my hope that the solutions we'll develop out of necessity to the international dynamics we face will be applicable to your community or your region. Or, if not, maybe we'll have to learn from you! Either way, we're connected, and in the words of WEB DuBois:
As The South Goes, So Goes The Nation.
