This week, in the 1920s, Oscar Micheaux was an entrepreneur filmmaker in western Virginia. He became a world-renowned director and producer. Also, Kentucky’s poet laureate lives down the road from what has been called the country’s most lethal cryptid. Attempts to spot it have led to deaths. And, we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who’s passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece.
Marshall Students Show Concern Over Recent ICE Presence In Huntington
Students at Marshall University carried signs that read “Appalachia Deserves Better Than This” and “Herd Over Hate” and chanted slogans such as “Mountaineers Are Always Free.” Emma Johnson/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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With recent reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Huntington, students gathered at the center of Marshall University’s campus to voice their concerns for their fellow students and community members.
Students at Marshall University carried signs that read “Appalachia Deserves Better Than This” and “Herd Over Hate” and chanted slogans such as “Mountaineers Are Always Free.”
Marshall student Athens Kitchen said it is their civic duty to protest and stand up for their peers who may not be able to speak out.
“We have a lot of international students, specifically here at Marshall, risking their safety with the presence of ICE is absurd,” Kitchen said. “They deserve to be here as much as anyone else.”
Photos by Emma Johnson/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Marshall graduate Britt Aguirre said it is important to protest these issues because protesting can bring awareness.
“We have to make sure we are still exercising our rights so they’re not taken and we need to bring visibility and awareness to what is going on right now,” Aguirre said.
Kitchen also said it is important for people to exercise their rights when it comes to protesting.
“It’s important to protest and it’s important to use your rights especially if you have the privilege to protest without risk,” Kitchen said.
Despite classes and the weather, students still showed up to make their voices heard.
This report was produced thanks to a partnership between Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications and West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
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On this episode of The Legislature Today, bills must be out of their respective committees by Sunday to be able to meet crossover day next Wednesday, and lawmakers are still working their way through next fiscal year’s budget. Also, we speak with Emmett Pepper, the policy director for Energy Efficient West Virginia, to learn about the Ratepayers Bill of Rights.
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We listen to an excerpt from the latest Inside Appalachia and learn about the influence and contributions of Oscar Micheaux, an African American filmmaker who lived in Virginia in the 1920s and shattered stereotypes.
