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Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Home » Addressing Racism And Passing On Traditions Inside Appalachia
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Addressing Racism And Passing On Traditions Inside Appalachia
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Across the globe, many people are wondering how to change society to deal with structural racism. It might all depend on our youth. Today’s episode of Inside Appalachia features people inspiring the next generation to change the world around them.
You’ll also hear a unique story about a group of women working to preserve an ancient tradition by passing on the skills and knowledge.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this podcast incorrectly identified Enkeshi Thom El-Amin as Angela Dennis, and Angela Dennis and Enkeshi Thom El-Amin. The two cohosts’ names of the podcast “Black In Appalachia” have been updated in this updated version of the audio.
“Black In Appalachia” is a multimedia effort from a public television station in East Tennessee. They have been documenting the lives of Black Appalachians, producing short documentaries and a community history database. In August, the project will launch a new podcast.
Jessica Lilly spoke with William Isom, the project’s director, about the significance of the project as a whole. She also spoke with Angela Dennis, one of the hosts of the new podcast. Dennis is a journalist and literary activist. The podcast debuts August 8.
Telling Their Own Stories
Last year, Lee & Low Books, an independent publisher of children’s and young adult literature, surveyed publishers across the country. They found that only five percent of children’s authors are Black. Most of the books in colleges and universities are written by white authors.
Our associate producer Eric Douglas spoke with one woman in the publishing industry trying to change that. Ardre Ordie had a career in education before transitioning to the publishing industry. Now, she is working with Black men to help them tell their own stories using an initiative called the 100 Seeds of Promise.
What’s In A Name?
If you’ve traveled along I-79 and seen signs for Big Chimney, just north of Charleston, you may have wondered “Where is this chimney, and how big is it, really?” Nestled close by, there are also the towns of Quick and Pinch.
For the stories behind Quick, Pinch, and Big Chimney, Eric Douglas nosed around the community. As often happens, the best resource is a local librarian.
Tanning Tradition
A group of women are reviving the art of tanning animal hides. It’s a traditional practice around the world. In recent years, though, certain tanning methods have fallen out of favor including the technique called brain tanning. Hide by hide, women in the region are reclaiming this practice.
Inside Appalachia Folkways reporter Clara Haizlett, a brain tanner herself, brings us this story about women tanning hides in Athens, Ohio. Clara’s story is part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Reporting Project.
Roxy Todd is our producer. Eric Douglas is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Andrea Billups. We had help editing this episode from Helen Barrington, from PMJA’s Editor Corps. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
On this West Virginia Morning, tourists from around the world visit Harpers Ferry each year to immerse themselves in U.S. history. But the number of visitors fell in 2020, as public health restrictions ramped up nationwide. Jack Walker visited the town to learn how things have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Across the nation, there are more and more local news deserts; communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. When a small town paper like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability. No one is there to watch over things. Local news also provides a sense of cohesion and identity for a community. What happens when it’s gone? This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
On this West Virginia Morning, it has been a year since allegations of illicit recordings of cadets and other women at the West Virginia State Police barracks launched federal and state investigations into the law enforcement department. We speak with the superintendent of state police for an update.
On this West Virginia Morning, political analysts say the two Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate in the upcoming May primary election give voters some particular, and troubling, food for thought. The candidates themselves say voters need to focus on the positives, not the negatives.