Black luminaries, Black history and the geographic, spiritual and emotional spaces that hold resonance for Black people in Appalachia: These are the elements of Frank X Walker s "A Is for Affrilachia." This alphabet picture book, at more than 60 pages, is for readers of all ages.
The downturn of coal in Harlan County, Kentucky has led to an exodus of Black residents in search of work. This week on Inside Appalachia, we listen back to our conversation with William Turner, whose book about growing up in a vibrant Black community in eastern Kentucky just won the Weatherford Award for nonfiction from the Appalachian Studies Association.
The downturn of coal in Harlan County, Kentucky has led to an exodus of Black residents in search of work. This week on Inside Appalachia, we speak with William Turner, whose new book looks at growing up in a vibrant Black community during Harlan’s boom years.
Black Artists And Writers Give Another Voice To Appalachia worldcrunch.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from worldcrunch.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Black Writers and Poets Are Upending Stereotypes About Appalachia
Kentucky poet Frank X Walker in 2013. Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” to upend assumptions about who is part of Appalachia.
Photo by Victoria Smith / eyevine / Redux
Affrilachian artistry and identity allows Appalachia to be fully seen as the diverse and culturally rich region that it is.
Open a dictionary and you’ll see “Appalachian” described as a “native or inhabitant of Appalachia, especially one of predominantly Scotch-Irish, English, or German ancestry.”
Read J.D. Vance’s
Hillbilly Elegy and you’ll enter a world that’s White, poor, and uncultured, with few, if any, people of color.