Five generations and a bit of common sense
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... Continue Reading →
Please allow me to speak conversationally... I was raised rural in the Appalachian Mountains. I spent my childhood split between exploring the ridgelines, hollers, and creeks with my cousins to playing Nintendo, screwing around with PCs at the onset of the internet, and watching Nickelodeon on C-Band satellite. We raised a garden for fresh vegetables... Continue Reading →
I just read an article in the Williamson Daily News citing that coal exports have increased coal production in the area. I'm sure there are many people in the coalfields rejoicing at this news, but before folks begin to celebrate, it's important to think about what it really means. The mine where I worked produced... Continue Reading →
Why did Kentucky legislators have to take away from teacher pensions? Why is there not enough money to make their pensions sustainable? Is it because they cut the un-mined minerals tax so coal companies and other absentee land companies wouldn't have to pay their share? Is it because they were giving millions of dollars of... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
Back lung among Appalachia’s coal miners has once again made national headlines, and in almost clock-work fashion, many self-righteous individuals took to social media channels to deplore Appalachia’s presidential voting choices. Some of the more common remarks have been, “That’s what they get,” while others attempt to benignly question the region’s intelligence with questions such... Continue Reading →
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,... Continue Reading →
When I attended Clintwood High School throughout the mid-90s, there was an amazing lack of ethnic diversity. Our school was 99.8% white. It goes without saying that we had a very limited understanding of diversity. What little we did know came in the form of 80's and 90's whitewashed television programming pulled in with our... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
