I'm...appalachian?
I want to walk around and look at these old immortal hills before I go, for here I was born and have lived all my days. ~ Jesse Stuart
As some of you may know, I've begun working at WDVX, a radio station in Knoxville, as an intern. My job, mostly, consists of starting a new "public affairs" program, which is meant to be educational and informational.
WDVX is a non-commercial station, which is why it is very important for them to have such a show. A large part of the purpose of stations such as this, is so they can be an asset to the community.
But that's only part of the point of this piece.
While working in my intern position, I discovered a new thing about myself. I am from appalachia. This might not seem all that big to some people, but it come as a bit of a shock for me.
You see, when I think of Appalachia, I think of tall mountains and deep valleys. And we don't have those where I am from in Kentucky. We have hills, ridges, hollers...but not mountains. No one is trying to mine the land. Very few are even trying to work the land anymore.
It's always been a bit of a conflict, I felt. Growing up, you see the maps with the regions of the US divided out. I never felt mid-western. But that's often where we were placed. And southern didn't seem quite right, either. We never seceded and, to me, it just doesn't seem right to be lumped in that. Besides, we have much better winters in Kentucky than most of those southern states do.
However, as I listened to the interview (for work), I realized how Appalachia made sense. They spoke of the dialect and certain language things that are often heard back in Casey County. The interviewees spoke, with pride, of how their region has a rich culture that has managed to maintain so much of it history and tradition. An region with strong, self-reliant people who find a way to make their life work, much as their parents or grandparents did before them. One also said something about people "east of the Mississippi."
I just had to look it up, to see what was really considered Appalachian. And it turns out, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission, my county is just on the edge of the border. We are, by their definition, in the Appalachian region.
And the more I think about it, the more I realize, maybe I am Appalachian. Not saying that I am this fantastic person that's even worthy of the title. But I know many people who are.
Many of those from my small, quaint home county are every bit as strong and resilient as the men and women who settled in Appalachia. I'm not saying any of us would be able to survive the real mountains as well as those who really live in them can, but they are pretty special people, nonetheless.
So, worthy or not, I am Appalachian. Perhaps that explains why my papa used to read me all those Jesse Stuart stories as a kid. He knew that I would day begin to fully understand and even feel pride in this heritage.
As some of you may know, I've begun working at WDVX, a radio station in Knoxville, as an intern. My job, mostly, consists of starting a new "public affairs" program, which is meant to be educational and informational.
WDVX is a non-commercial station, which is why it is very important for them to have such a show. A large part of the purpose of stations such as this, is so they can be an asset to the community.
But that's only part of the point of this piece.
While working in my intern position, I discovered a new thing about myself. I am from appalachia. This might not seem all that big to some people, but it come as a bit of a shock for me.
You see, when I think of Appalachia, I think of tall mountains and deep valleys. And we don't have those where I am from in Kentucky. We have hills, ridges, hollers...but not mountains. No one is trying to mine the land. Very few are even trying to work the land anymore.
It's always been a bit of a conflict, I felt. Growing up, you see the maps with the regions of the US divided out. I never felt mid-western. But that's often where we were placed. And southern didn't seem quite right, either. We never seceded and, to me, it just doesn't seem right to be lumped in that. Besides, we have much better winters in Kentucky than most of those southern states do.However, as I listened to the interview (for work), I realized how Appalachia made sense. They spoke of the dialect and certain language things that are often heard back in Casey County. The interviewees spoke, with pride, of how their region has a rich culture that has managed to maintain so much of it history and tradition. An region with strong, self-reliant people who find a way to make their life work, much as their parents or grandparents did before them. One also said something about people "east of the Mississippi."
I just had to look it up, to see what was really considered Appalachian. And it turns out, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission, my county is just on the edge of the border. We are, by their definition, in the Appalachian region.
And the more I think about it, the more I realize, maybe I am Appalachian. Not saying that I am this fantastic person that's even worthy of the title. But I know many people who are.
Many of those from my small, quaint home county are every bit as strong and resilient as the men and women who settled in Appalachia. I'm not saying any of us would be able to survive the real mountains as well as those who really live in them can, but they are pretty special people, nonetheless.
So, worthy or not, I am Appalachian. Perhaps that explains why my papa used to read me all those Jesse Stuart stories as a kid. He knew that I would day begin to fully understand and even feel pride in this heritage.
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