"Please tell me who is funding your project and how you pronounce Appalachia,” a sixth generation Black West Virginian asked me. This no-BS response to my interview request solidified why I wanted to go there. I also needed to experience the magic of the Appalachian mountains myself. The perception of this predominately white state is typically seen through the hillbilly lens and I wanted to understand who else lived here. So I sought out Black, brown to queer, non-binary, and trans, elders, youth, writers, artists, teachers, activists and everyone else in between.
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© Kyana Gordon