Appalachian Studies

I spent last weekend at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference in Boone, NC.  Some of the sessions were more relevant than others, but overall I learned some new things about the region where I live.  The very first session I went to stuck with me the most- it was called Working in the Coalfields: Challenges and Rewards of Advocacy in the Face of the "War on Coal."  It also related to the book I've been reading- "Lost Mountain" by Erik Reece.  The book is based in Perry County (where I live) and centers around a mountain, actually named Lost Mountain, that was subject to the mountaintop removal style of coal mining.

Both the book and the session at the conference talked about the questions "Whose side are you on?"  This is in relation to the perceived "War On Coal."  There is a pro-Coal attitude that exists throughout Central Appalachia.  And the advertising (promoted by the coal companies) is everywhere.  Just down the road from my house is an office of Coal Mining Our Future.  And bumper stickers and signs in shop windows advertise the sentiment as well: Friends of Coal, If you don't like coal then don't use electricity, and more proclaim the opinions of the residents of Eastern Kentucky.  And driving through Virginia before the election last fall, the political billboards were out of control.  I think the ones I saw the most simply said YES COAL, NO OBAMA.  The issue of coal has become a very polarized issue- if you aren't FOR coal, then obviously you are AGAINST it.  They mentioned in the session how the term "tree-hugger" is one of the most offensive labels you can put on someone.

One of the points they made in the session was how in order to be a successful organization here in the Coalfields of Eastern Kentucky, you have to try to maintain a position of neutrality on the issue of coal. They talked about their respective organizations- all of which are located in Whitesburg, the next town East of Hazard on Hwy 15.

( And this is where I left off... over 2 months ago. *sorry* Now I will attempt to resume that train of thought )

As a semi-conclusion to above I have decided to adopt the philosophy I saw somewhere- maybe on a bumper sticker or T-shirt? Who knows.  But it said something like I (heart) Miners and Mountains.

Since I wrote the first half of this post, I have gained even more perspective on life in the coalfields.  Part of this came from 2 days that I spent on mountain top removal sites planting trees.  The way that mountain tops are "reclaimed" after they have been strip mined leaves the soil extremely compacted.  And the seed mixture that they spread, once it starts to grow, ends up looking like a meadow or a savannah.  Nothing like the rich diverse mountain ecology that existed previously.  So the group that organizes the plantings has a dozer come in and dig up the soil prior to the planting.  Then volunteers plant hundreds of sapling hardwoods, and hope that most of them grow!  One of the places that the HDA builds houses is a old MTR (mountain top removal) site that was reclaimed for the purpose of affordable housing.  So we have been able to build about 20-25 homes so far on that flat stretch of land.  Unfortunately, the wind can get very strong up there since there aren't any trees to slow it down.

Also, I finished reading Lost Mountain (by, Erik Reece).  This, by the way, is a book I would highly recommend!  Coincidentally, just as I finished reading in the book about Elaine Chao, former Secretary of Labor under President Bush and wife of our Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, she came to be the keynote speaker at our local Civic Night in Hazard!  Both Mitch and Elaine are very pro-coal, and the book sheds some interesting light on some of their political happenings... but I won't spoil the surprise.  And Civic Night turned interesting when the five AmeriCorps in Hazard (or AmeriFive, if you will) were all given awards for their "Caring Spirit and Outstanding Service" to Hazard and Perry County.  It was a great honor and very accepting and gracious of our local community to acknowledge us in that way.  So if any of you are reading this- Thank You!

Catching Up, A Few Words on a Few Things

I had a list going of things I wanted to post about...

The Kentucky Point In Time Count, where all over Kentucky the homeless and precariously housed population was counted.  The day is carefully chosen by the state government to fall in January, a time in the dead of winter when the friends and family of the homeless population would have pity and take them under their roof for a while.  That way there will conveniently be a small number of people counted as homeless, and the statistics would reflect better on the state.  The "precariously housed" component was added to help rectify that- the term includes people who are on the verge of homelessness.  This includes families that are doubled or tripled up in a home as well as families who live in truly substandard housing- without running water, electricity, etc.  As a member of Build Corps, I participated in the Perry County PIT Count.
For more information: http://www.usich.gov/member_agency/department_of_housing_and_urban_development/point_in_time_count/

The other was the FAHE Caucus I attended in February.  FAHE stands for the Federation for Appalachian Housing Enterprises.  The Kentucky faction consists of different affordable housing organizations.  The Caucus was a meeting of the Kentucky members, so that they could share information and work together on influencing issues and policies.  It's always refreshing to learn that there are other organizations working towards the same goal- safe, affordable, and decent housing for all (or at least more).  There was a time when everyone got to voice the biggest challenges for their organization at this time- and many people voiced concerns over the dwindling federal funds for rural housing.

The final item on my list is Hot Topic Cold Dish.  This is a monthly event held at the First Presbyterian Church, just a short walk away from our house.  There is usually a speaker, an expert on an interesting or controversial topic, and people are supposed to bring brown bag lunches.  The February topic was prisons in Central Appalachia.  The gist of the discussion was that here, prisons are seen as an opportunity for job creation and economic growth.  But often times, they don't meet those expectations.
This article provides a good summary:
http://www.dailyyonder.com/speak-your-piece-prison-progress/2013/02/12/5651

... But this all leads up to that I actually had something different I wanted to post about this time!  But I'm breaking it up into two posts.  And the second, I hope, will follow promptly

I hope you all are getting used to the liks in the blog, I've been doing a lot of reading lately, so somethimes it's easier to refer to something already written rather that re-write the same things in my own words.  But the next entry will be link free!