Journey toward Justice - The Appalachian Community Fund

17 Pages·2010·32.12 MB·English

An Appalachian
Journey toward Justice
The Appalachian Community Fund
We dream the day
when Appalachia’s land,
air and water
are saved from destruction
and contamination;
where the economy is stable, strong,
and provides diverse
employment opportunities
for all people;
where government and industry
are accountable to human needs
without exploitation of people
and their health;
where justice, equity,
appreciation of diversity
and celebration of our common humanity
replace racism, sexism, heterosexism
and other “isms”;
where wealth and resources
are shared equally;
where all children grow up free
from hatred and violence;
and where justice
overcomes oppression
in all forms.
— ACF Board of Directors
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The Appalachian Community Fund (ACF) was founded in 1987 to bring
new resources and provide grants to groups for community organizing
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and social change in the central region of Appalachia (East Tennessee,
Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and the state of West Virginia).
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This is the story of a special part of ACF’s work. It is also an honoring of
ss ss ss eeqquuiittyy iinn pprraaccttiiccee the changes being brought about by the people of Central Appalachia
against the greatest of odds.
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Beloved Place
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rom the original Native inhabitants to The legacy of corporate exploitation of resources and
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refugee slaves on the underground railroad people has left communities in isolation. Small towns can
to immigrants from Eastern Europe, the British decay; community life suffers; and youth are left without
Isles, Italy and states to the south, love of the healthy options for recreation, challenge, and growth.
land of Central Appalachia has created home, Drug use rises. Toxic waste and fouled water from defor-
haven and beloved place. Rich and diverse local estation and Mountaintop Removal mining devastate the
cultures of music, storytelling, arts and crafts land and endanger public health still today.
have grown from this love of place and the
mixture of people, land, nature, and history. Poorly funded state legislatures limit essential services
like roads and other transport systems, schools, health
But these ancient mountains, valleys, hollers and services, and job training — necessary components for
hills are also places of contradiction, where great stable communities and diversified, sustainable local
beauty exists alongside historic poverty, social economies. Family and corporate dynasties sow corrup-
inequity, and environmental destruction. tion in political systems. Top-down thinking and control
structures often stifle local initiatives.
The natural wealth of Appalachia in
ppalachian people have long battled negative
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coal, timber, and oil and gas reserves and dehumanizing stereotypes as “hillbillies,”
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has been both blessing and bane. seen as somehow deserving of their fate. In recent
years, many communities have seen dramatic increases
Since the late 1800s, extractive industries have
in new immigrant populations, and instances of wari-
brought jobs and limited development, but left
ness against our new residents can prevent the bridges
ss ss ss ssppeeaakkiinngg oouutt vast environmental degradation, and a legacy of
and alliances which might unite hurting communities
oppression. Enormous wealth carved from the
in common cause.
coalfields has enriched distant owners, but in
the Central Appalachian region served by ACF,
ss ss ss aannttii--rraacciissmm wwoorrkk Faced by these challenges, it is easy to feel over-
nearly one person in four now lives below the
whelmed and hopeless. But, just as the natural
poverty line.
beauty of Appalachia seen from a distance can
camouflage the harsher realities of life here, so too can
ss ss ss ddiivveerrssiittyy ooff vvooiicceess We do the work
That must be done statistics of struggle obscure a remarkable
For we know
What the harvest will bring undercurrent that has been growing for
ss ss ss sshhaarreedd lleeaaddeerrsshhiipp And we honor more than 40 years . . .
The wisdom and the courage
Of our founders
Buoyed by the courage, resilience, imagination, gener-
osity, wisdom, energy and exuberance of generations
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of Appalachians, the years since the early 1960s have
“Affrilachia”
been filled with work on the grassroots community
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2 ACF JOURNEY TOWARD JUSTICE TThhee nnaattuurraall && hhuummaann rreessoouurrcceess tthhaatt mmaakkee AAppppaallaacchhiiaa aa rriicchh aanndd ddiivveerrssee rreeggiioonn..
appalachian heroes
John RobeRt CliffoRd was West Virginia’s first African-American attorney, a newspaper publisher, editor
and writer, a schoolteacher and principal, a civil rights pioneer and a founding member of the Niagara Movement
(forerunner to the NAACP). In 1898, Clifford won a landmark civil-rights-in-education case before the West Virginia
Supreme Court of Appeals: Williams v. Board of Education.
The Tucker County School Board of Education tried to cut the public school year for African-American students from
nine months to five months, while the students in the “white school” continued to receive the full nine-month school
year. Clifford encouraged teacher Carrie Williams to continue teaching for the entire nine months and, together,
they filed a lawsuit against the school board for her back pay. In the end, the West Virginia Supreme Court of
Appeals upheld the decision to provide equal educational rights to African-American students in West Virginia.
All this occurred well over 50 years before the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision and was one of the
few civil rights victories in a southern state’s highest court before the turn of the century.
— J.R. Clifford Project – Friends of Blackwater
The Project is developing curricular materials on this important aspect of West Virginia history, and is working to create a
network of educators and civic leaders committed to using those materials in order to shed additional light on the Mountain
State’s rich and unique history in connection with America’s struggle for racial justice.
level that has countered some of the most devastating problems.
Local groups have revitalized small town main streets in intergenera-
tional projects; made policy advances in environmental protection;
celebrated local cultures; and partnered to improve schools and I never thought much about progress until now
public health. Family and community life has been strengthened. And I certainly never thought of myself as
And more change is coming. against it
But it’s turning out I am against it
And it’s not because progress is bad.
he enduring challenges remain. But the people and the
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It’s because progress –
richness of the region are also still here and grow stronger.
The way we’re doing it –
Central Appalachia is a beloved place where growing clusters of
Is so ugly.
homegrown leaders in these four states are gathering together to
A mountain is beautiful.
fight to make things better. People are moving forward. Despite
— and through — every setback, we are building a movement for — Jo Carson
social justice, community by community. “Stories I Ain’t Told Nobody Yet”
Roots
As mountain streams
ACF’s founding in 1987 was in part a response of support for the
build to great rivers,
vigorous social change work being carried out in Central Appala-
chia. The Fund was started to help address the traditional problem each local action for
of inadequate financial resources to support community solutions social justice, each
and organizing for change. I’m always at home here
community-based Still believing
With an office in Knoxville, Tenn., and board members from the organization and grass- The reward of this labor
Is vision
four-state area, ACF offers grants for community-based organizations roots leader, each
Honed to the blue sharpness
addressing underlying causes of the economic and social distress of
ACF donor, is part of a Of ridges.
the region. Built on a model of community-based philanthropy and
grantmaking decisions made by the board of directors and commit- great movement-building — Jeff Daniel Marion
tees composed of people who live in Central Appalachia, ACF has enterprise to bring social “Vigils”
distributed more than $5 Million in its history. Grantmaking has sup-
justice to this rare,
ported emerging efforts as well as long-term organizations, and ACF
has helped to strengthen non-profit infrastructure and capacity while precious, long-abused
supporting policy reforms, coalition building, and local leadership. but enduring land.
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Seeds
jessi turner grew up in McDowell
County, West Virginia. “When I grew up I
ss ss ss iissssuueess && aaccttiioonn T o mark 20 years of work in the region, the ACF thought the people in my community were
board of directors undertook the task of renew- the only ones dealing with problems,” Jessi
ing the original vision, to assess where the organization says. “Giving to ACF helps me feel connected
was and to determine how best to build on 20 years of to Appalachia and it gives me hope. I feel
ss ss ss eeqquuaalliittyy ooff ppeeooppllee strong knowing that when communities work
grantmaking and leadership for social change in Central
on a problem together – racism, sexism or
Appalachia. ACF’s founders and leaders have consistently
poverty, for example – we can overcome it.
stood for justice, human and civil rights, workers’ rights,
ss ss ss eeqquuiittyy iinn pprraaccttiiccee racial justice, environmental justice, and the people of “I want to see that young people are accepted
and that my opinion is heard and respected.
Central Appalachia, so the process set out to look at
Communities are facing many of the same
where we are and where we want to go — the story
challenges they were facing 50 years ago,
of ACF in this place called Central Appalachia and the
but our society is different now, so we have
ss ss ss pprroommoottiinngg iinncclluussiivveenneessss movement of people to travel the hard road toward to approach grassroots organizing in new
justice in a wounded land. ways,” comments Jessi. “Young people see
discrimination and ‘isms’ differently from the
In a region where social change has long been crushed generations that have come before us. We
ss ss ss lleeaaddeerrsshhiipp && ssoolliiddaarriittyy can learn from older people and add to their
by top-down decision making, by extraction, exploita-
perspective. I want to bring that point of
tion, and by solutions dictated by other interests,
view to the table.”
we at ACF set ourselves to listen, to connect,
Jessi became ACF’s youngest donor and board
to facilitate and be just plain inspired by amazing
member at 14 years old.
groups of people sharing their frustrations,
needs, wisdom, success stories and strategies.
In a series of day-long meetings called “State of the
States,” we spoke our fears and dreams. We ached at the
injustices besetting our land, our nation, our planet. But
we also dreamed, laughed, ate and danced . . . together
in a spirit of community and recognition of the road we
travel together.
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The Appalachian Community Fund
operates on principles of
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compassion and respect for all beings, integrity, transparency, a belief in
and commitment to justice, and care for our region and our planet.
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An analysis of oppression, particularly racism, informs ACF’s work; and in all of its activities,
goals and outcomes, ACF seeks to model an organization which is effective, responsible,
accountable, democratic, anti-racist, and committed to developing leadership.
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ACF works to change systems and institutions and also believes in changing those it is
a part of, recognizing and acknowledging that the systems it seeks to change transcend
geographic, national and international boundaries.
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The Fund believes in sharing power, sharing responsibility, and seeking input and
ideas from all components of the organization as it strives to embody, and to
4 ACF JOURNEY TOWARD JUSTICE encourage other organizations to embody, these principles.
We Value . . .
Ω
n the natural and human
resources that make appalachia
a rich and diverse region
n Seeing, sharing and creating
the connections among people,
part of the group that attended the
tennessee SoS gathering. communities, environment,
the region and the world
Movement: n Leadership of people
involved in issues and action
State of the StateS proceSS (SoS)
n equality of people and equity
in practice
he State of the States (SOS) process
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was held on four occasions, one
each in the four Central Appalachian n Building a sense of commu-
states ACF serves. Emory, Va.; Alcoa, level of hope and excitement. The framework was this: nity and promoting inclusiveness
Tenn.; Berea, Ky.; and Charleston, W.Va., what challenges are we facing in our journey toward
were the settings for the day-long justice; what is not working; what is working; how do n Sharing of stories and
gatherings. In all, these conversations we move together to get where we want to be?
experience to build relationships,
were attended by 120 people from
leadership and solidarity
75 organizations. Some participants
The dynamic spirit present in
were past or present ACF grantees;
some were community organizations each of the gatherings culminated n celebration of culture,
connecting with the work of others in in the creation of Mind Maps — heritage, survival, community,
their state; and some were encounter- and victories for justice
visual portraits of issues, solutions,
ing each other for the first time. (A list
of those people and organizations is on and resources in each state.
n Speaking out and standing up
Page 15.)
On the following four pages, please share in the
results of these gatherings, as we offer visual and n the critical importance of
As ACF board members, along with
staff and consultants, pondered the written excerpts of the Mind Maps . . . and the anti-racism work as a part of
solutions and visions engendered by connection
SOS project, we saw that ACF’s role as bringing about social change
and commitment to the issues.
a regional resource and social leader
would be informed and strengthened n Diversity of voices, experi-
A five-year plan inspired by the SOS process was
through gathering others to reflect
subsequently created by the ACF Board. A brief ence, and geography
together on Successes and Challenges
representation of that plan begins on Page 10.
of Organizing for Social Change in our
n Decision-making that is built
region. We saw the process as a way
to foster communication, networking on consensus, equal participa-
and strategizing, to look at the future of We must share with each other tion, and shared leadership
our stories, our skills,
social justice organizing and activism,
and our power
and to inform ACF’s strategic planning in order to continue n accountability, friendliness
and thinking for the future.
down the road and openness to our donor part-
that others have begun.
ners, our grantee partners and all
hat started out as a project to Then those barriers
W create and affirm strategic direc- that make us all weary allies who seek justice
tions for the next several years ended and frightened
as a creative and inspiring participatory will come down. n Grassroots experience, skills,
conversation involving energy and wisdom and plain good sense
— carol honeycutt
synergy, each meeting with its own
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“State of the State” GatherinGS:
What We heard about What iS WorkinG
“Survival! “Create structures
Groups with 11, 15, 23 & 25 years for the long haul ”
existence surviving in hard times ”
“Seeing beyond
crises . . . long-range
strategies . . . networking ”
“Organizing
“Antiracism analysis that creates space where directly
affected people can come together
and dialogue ”
around an immediate issue . . .
where folks seek information and
where new leaders can be developed ”
“Creating
a local food economy ”
“Communicating
to find common ground; shared
intentions and values create bonds ”
“Combating Hopelessness
“Evaluating

— a focus on the need for social
our impact, documenting
collective action ”
how programs have made a
contribution and left a footprint ”
“Fearlessly bringing
innovative models and
the resources to implement them ”
“Taking on “Effective
legislative advocacy ”
sustainable development
and land use issues ”
“Embrace
racial, cultural, religious,
geographic diversity to decrease fear
and increase peace ”
6 ACF JOURNEY TOWARD JUSTICE
“State of the State” GatherinGS:
the future of Social chanGe orGanizinG, State by State
“Mind Maps” drawn in collaboration
“Communicating
to find common ground; shared
intentions and values create bonds ”
Section of “Mind Map” froM the tenneSSee GatherinG
ACF JOURNEY TOWARD JUSTICE 7
“State of the State”
Kentucky
GatherinGS:
“Young people who want to
DO something to connect them to issues ”
Seeing, sharing and creating
the connections among people,
communities, environment,
the region and the world
“Reach out & involve
newcomers to protect
communities and environment ”
“Power of art & organizing”
“Compassion with passion that drives
you to continue in the face of adversity ”
“Don’t blame people – point
to causes! Find common ground
Virginia
and don’t attack other victims ”
“Education — literacy programs /
self-sufficiency / thinking skills /
8 ACF JOURNEY TOWARD JUSTICE environmental/earth education ”
“State of the State”
West Virginia
GatherinGS:
“Grassroots-based organizing
steered by community needs ”
Seeing, sharing and creating
the connections among people,
communities, environment,
the region and the world
“Reach out & involve “Build power through
newcomers to protect relationships, being aware
communities and environment ” of the forces that divide us ”
“Use mediation & conflict
resolution to find common ground ”
“Celebrate success! ”
“Thinking long term,
being strategic in the face of
Tennessee
constant crisis ”
“The people know the solutions
because they live with the problems ”
“Focus on the need
for collective social action ” ACF JOURNEY TOWARD JUSTICE 9