Category: Education
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It’s Not a Left or Right Thing. It’s a Money Thing.
I believe that most people in this nation agree there is too much money in politics. Robin Williams once said that “Politicians should wear sponsor jackets like Nascar drivers. Then we know who owns them.” So why aren’t people doing something about it? The U.S. government is supposed to be a government for the people,…
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Thoughts on writing, privilege, scholarly activism, and the future of Appalachia
I popped over to Ken Ward’s blog Coal Tattoo and noticed he hadn’t written anything in almost a year and a half. I know the feeling. My last post broke a nearly one-year dry spell, and even then, I hadn’t posted more than maybe five times in a few years. While I can’t speak for…
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Dear Trump Supporters…
I wanted to take a moment to speak with everyone regarding Trump. Life’s been tough in rural America. It always has been. We’ve been the ones who built this country. The food that was put on the plates of our founding fathers was grown by the hands of the working people (or slaves when thinking…
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A Letter to J.D. Vance
Dear Mr. Vance, I read your book Hillbilly Elegy last year. Actually, my family and I listened to it as a free trial on Audible while traveling back and forth to visit my grandfather in the hospital. He was a career coal miner by the way. Several friends and colleagues had advised me not to…
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The Love-Hate Relationship of Exporting Appalachian Coal
Since the fall of the steel industry in this country, the majority of Appalachia’s metallurgical coal reserves have been going overseas. Some goes to Europe to foundries producing highly engineered, high quality products. Most ends up in China and India where companies can get by with minimal pollution controls and low wages among people with…
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The Only Way Out for Appalachia’s Coalfields
The boom and bust cycles of coal markets have always worked to the advantage of coal companies more than Appalachian communities. In some of Central Appalachia’s coal-producing counties, over 90% of the mineral rights are owned by absentee owners—owners who manipulate local and state governments to keep property taxes low on their holdings. When markets…
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Exploiting Appalachia’s Heroes
Since I left the mines and joined the ranks of people fighting for justice in our world, I’ve met many people who I consider to be honest-to-God heroes. They are the local organizers who rose up in their own communities and sacrificed nearly everything to do what was right. They are the faces of truth,…
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Appalachia’s Coalfields Weren’t Always Red
Since the last presidential election, I’ve witnessed a near constant stream of ridicule against Appalachian people who voted for Trump, “They are getting what they deserve,” “They had a choice and they chose a lying bigot,” “They screwed us all.” I have even been told “We don’t have time to deal with them (Trump voters).…
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Stereotyping Appalachians Feeds Only the Coal Industry
Trump won the vote in Appalachia because people are tired of being looked down upon. Considering the work of powerful industry interests, a century’s worth of negative stereotyping, and culturally insensitive protests against coal—a source of people’s pride, heritage, and income—it’s not difficult to understand how.
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With Liberty and Justice for All*
The following is an excerpt from a reflection I wrote December 2015. It was a warm afternoon when we arrived in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Our Blue Toyota Corolla was overflowing with camping gear, the large Thule setting us apart as travelers, not locals. We’d never been in Mississippi, but as soon as we crossed the…
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Voting against their best interests
People ask me “Why do Appalachians vote against their own best interests?” Some are friends who are honestly trying to understand the situation from a point of concern. I know that they seek the cause for the discrepancy, rather than assume coal mining families are incapable of making intelligent political decisions. The question still stings…
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The Manipulation of Southern Pride
When I was a teenager, I went to a meeting of the new Sons of Confederate Veterans chapter in my home town. I quickly became caught up in the ideals of the SCV and hoped desperately that I could find a Confederate soldier within my lineage so I could join. I was not racist thanks…
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As Coal Production Ramps Up, Companies Should Pay Their Debts to Mining Communities
According to reports from the Energy Information Administration, coal production will be on the rise due to increases in electrical generation from coal fired power plants and coal exports. This means that coal companies, who have come out ahead by shirking their financial responsibilities in bankruptcy court, will be primed to make yet another…
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The Ongoing Fight Against Media’s Misrepresentation of Appalachia
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Daniel Flatley from Bloomberg News. He was working on a story aimed at understanding why coal miners were not retraining into healthcare careers as the healthcare industry grew in Appalachia. I tried my best to answer his questions and give a broader understanding of miner retraining and…
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The Real Presidential “Delegation”
We all know the stereotype, the clueless boss who has no idea how to do a damn thing. You go to them with a problem and they instantly point you in a different direction, bumbling along like you just hit them between the eyes with sledge hammer (stop visualizing it as much as you want…