On this West Virginia Morning, Ohio poet laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour has a new collection of poems titled Dirt Songs. In it, she recalls her small-town upbringing in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But also thinks of the people who owned the land where she lives. Bill Lynch spoke with Gunter-Seymour about her new book and what she sees as good in Appalachia.
Rising Above Appalachian Stereotypes for a Higher Education
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While it’s no longer politically correct to use racist, or gender-related remarks that stereotype groups of people, what about negative West Virginian or Appalachian stereotypes?
Appalachians are commonly stereotyped as white, lazy, tobacco smoking, overall-wearing, poor farmers with poor dental hygiene, no indoor plumbing, and no shoes.
So how does that influence the pursuit of an education? Well it depends on the individual Appalachian mindset. The conversation about the connection and possible impact continues with this second report.
Appalachian Stereotypes and the Impact on Student Success
Director of Retention at Concord University is Sarah Beasley. It’s her job to basically keep students enrolled and graduated at the university.
Beasley recently hosted a forum called, Appalachian Stereotypes and the Impact on Student Success.
Beasley’s interest grew out her dissertation research in Mingo County. She looked at college access and the success of rural first generation students. Beasley asked college bound or current college students to share any positive or negative stereotypes they know, about West Virginia or Appalachia.
PART TWO:
Meet two West Virginians that were treated ‘different’ while in college. Find out how they reacted.
PART ONE:
0924Stereotypes1WEB.mp3
Listen to hear two West Virginians describe how they were spoken to because of their Appalachian background.
On this West Virginia Morning, Ohio poet laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour has a new collection of poems titled Dirt Songs. In it, she recalls her small-town upbringing in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But also thinks of the people who owned the land where she lives. Bill Lynch spoke with Gunter-Seymour about her new book and what she sees as good in Appalachia.
West Virginia's Gold Star organizations offer veterans and the families of fallen service members ongoing support through year-round fundraising and programming.
Emily Zirkelbach is a recent graduate of West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media, and an incoming second lieutenant with the United States Air Force. For her capstone project, Zirkelbach sat down with several Gold Star families across the Mountain State to discuss their work supporting local veterans and families in grief. She spoke with WVPB to discuss what she learned.
Last week the governor unveiled a series of murals in the capitol's rotunda. Onlookers noticed multiple changes in the murals from when they were previewed in April, most notably the addition of a painting of a dog that resembles the Governors pet.