This week, a Japanese Shinto garden took root in southwestern Virginia because of family connections spanning geography and generations. Also, in Whitesburg, Kentucky a new mosaic uses recovered objects to honor the town’s people after the flood of 2022. And, the young adult novel Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire mixes historical fact with spooky Appalachian folklore.
Randy Blake Thomas (a Creeker) and Trey Kay (a Hiller).Joni Deutsch
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Our cultural divides start early in America – some even in childhood.
As kids, we learn where we come from and where we belong. Those divisions can really run deep. When Us & Them host Trey Kay was a kid at George Washington High School in Charleston, West Virginia, you were either a ‘hiller’ or a ‘creeker.’ The sorting followed class lines and separated kids based on their family’s income.
Trey goes back to his old neighborhood to see if others remember it the way he does. Some of their differences were subtle while others were as basic as the clothes they could afford. But what he learned from these adult conversations is that they had a lot in common. They were all self-conscious and knew that even their shoes could define them.
Another thing they all share? The pain of those 40-year-old wounds can sometimes still sting.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the CRC Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond. You also can listen to Us & Them on WVPB Radio — tune in every fourth Thursday at 8 p.m., or listen to the encore presentation on the following Saturday at 3 p.m.
George Washington High School Yearbook
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Randy Blake Thomas in 1977 as a sophomore at George Washington High School in Charleston, W.Va.
George Washington High School Yearbook
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Joey Minardi in 1977 as a sophomore at George Washington High School in Charleston, W.Va.
George Washington High School Yearbook.
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Trey Kay in 1977 as a sophomore at George Washington High School in Charleston, W.Va.
Joni Deutsch
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Randy Thomas sporting a pair of his coveted Nike Cortez sneakers.
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This week, a Japanese Shinto garden took root in southwestern Virginia because of family connections spanning geography and generations. Also, in Whitesburg, Kentucky a new mosaic uses recovered objects to honor the town’s people after the flood of 2022. And, the young adult novel Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire mixes historical fact with spooky Appalachian folklore.
West Virginia is seeing a dramatic decline in overdose deaths, but addiction’s consequences can be complex. On a new episode of Us & Them, Trey Kay explores what addiction can leave behind for children and families through the film “What We Hide” and a conversation with addiction and mental health professionals.
West Virginia has been at the center of America's opioid epidemic and overdose death toll. While recent reports show the state’s overdose deaths have fallen by nearly 38%, addiction remains the most common reason for West Virginia children to be taken from their families. In the next episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay attends a WVU training symposium, including a screening of the recent film "What We Hide," and hears from professionals who work with people affected by addiction.
The West Virginia Board of Education declared a state of emergency in Wyoming County Schools Wednesday after a special circumstances review of the district found financial and personnel management issues.