One of America’s pioneering filmmakers had nothing to do with Hollywood but nevertheless left his mark on the emerging industry. Oscar Micheaux was a homesteader, who then turned his attention to making movies in the early 1900s. He was a Black man who made movies for Black audiences at a time when they weren’t allowed into mainstream, white-only theaters. And for several pivotal years in the 1920s, he operated out of Roanoke, Virginia.
Maternal Care Deserts And Seed Saving Inside Appalachia
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This week on Inside Appalachia, amid recent hospital closures, Appalachian women are having to travel farther and farther to give birth. We also learn how seed libraries and community gardens are helping to protect heirloom seeds from being lost. And we hear more from our series on greyhound racing. Next year, West Virginia will be home to the last two remaining greyhound racetracks in the United States. This week, we learn about the government policies that sustain dog racing.
Staysha Quentrill
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Courtesy
Staysha Quentrill is a West Virginia birth worker.
Maternal Medicine In The Mountains
We talk with reporter Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven about maternal health care deserts in western North Carolina and hear a report from Crystal Good, about what options Black families in West Virginia have for finding birth workers that look like them.
Appalachian PRIDE
Following one of the opinions written in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, state legislatures across the Ohio Valley are considering anti-LGBTQ policies, while people across Appalachia took part in celebrations during LGBTQ Pride Month in June. Katie Myers with the Ohio Valley ReSource got reactions and spoke to residents.
Indigenous Peoples Gather In W.Va. To Discuss The Environment
High schoolers with Indigenous backgrounds came from all over the country to the Eastern Panhandle in West Virginia this summer for a leadership congress. They talked about conservation, Native identity, and the growing effects of climate change. Shepherd Snyder has more.
Greyhound Racing Series Continues
Chris Schulz
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Are the days of greyhound racing numbered?
In 2023, West Virginia will be home to the last two remaining greyhound racetracks in the United States. Reporter Randy Yohe breaks down the government policies that sustain dog racing, and considers its future in the state at a time when it’s dying everywhere else.
Canaries Out Of The Coal Mine
As old coal mines are restored, they’ve been repurposed for an increasingly broad number of new uses. In Pennsylvania, reclaimed mine land is being used for an art project involving birds. Kara Holsapple and Jacqui Sieber of the Allegheny Front have more.
Feeding The Hungry In Appalachia’s Food Deserts
Supply chain issues and rising gas prices are making it harder for people to get food. As David Adkins reports, local entrepreneurs are looking to meet the demand.
A Ray Of Hope
Mountain View Solar, a solar installation company in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, is training and hiring people in recovery from substance use disorder. Shepherd Snyder has more.
Serious About Seed Saving
Neil Conway
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Flickr
Heirloom seeds don’t just connect people with delicious food, they connect to community.
During the pandemic, millions of Americans turned to gardening. In Appalachia, people have long saved heirloom seeds that have been passed down for generations. Today, that tradition continues, partly through organizations like seed libraries and community gardens that collect these seeds to save them from being lost. Folkways reporter Rachel Greene spent time in Ashe County, North Carolina — talking to the people giving new life to old seeds.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Marisa Anderson, Michael Howard, Josh Woodward, and the Hillbilly Gypsies.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Alex Runyon is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.
WVPB will be screening excerpts of Ken Burns’ recent PBS documentary series "The American Revolution" this week at Marshall. Us & Them host Trey Kay will moderate the event, and he spoke recently with WVPB News Director Eric Douglas about why revisiting the nation’s founding story matters today. Also, a bill to temporarily delay moving a child to homeschooling during an active case of abuse or neglect hit a snag in the Senate on Monday.
West Virginians gathered at the capitol last week to urge lawmakers to take action on rising electric bills. Also, state leaders have been quick to respond to news of the U.S.-led attack on Iran. And, Larry Kump, a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, died over the weekend.
On this West Virginia Week, residents demand action on energy bills, the Hope Scholarship bill moves forward and changes to homeschooling requirements meets resistance.
