This week, Inside Appalachia, a West Virginia man is reviving a Black coal camp through farming. Also, the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan includes a summer camp for teens to study their heritage. And, the Reverend George Mills Dickerson of Tazewell, Virginia, was born in the years after slavery ended. He’s remembered during Juneteenth through his poetry.
What's Next, Clay County?—Nonstop Journey to a Better Tomorrow
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Early one morning this past January, two Clay County school busses pulled up at the state capitol complex in Charleston. Inside were members of the group “What’s Next, Clay County?”, one of twenty-five communities across the state that is organizing to strengthen their local economy as a part of the “What’s Next, WV?” initiative.
Sign up to bring "What's Next" conversations to your community today! http://whatsnextwv.org/organize-discussion
Over seventy people attended their first community meeting last fall—not a small feat in a community of their size. They chose five areas to focus their work: youth and education; infrastructure; small business; drugs; and cleaning up trash and dilapidated properties.
Since then, they realized they would need outside help to accomplish all they have set out to do, so they set off for a day at the capitol. This is a story about a small, rural community fighting for a brighter economic future for their families and neighbors.
To get to know these Clay Countians in living color, check out this short documentary about their day at the legislature.
According to the open letter, the committee proposal would shift up to $85 million in costs to the state for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, also known as food stamps, by 2028. The groups worry the state would not support the program, putting families at risk.
The board voted unanimously to direct the state superintendent to advise schools to follow current vaccination guidelines without religious exemptions, and moved to intervene in two more county school districts.