Bear With Me, My Nerdiness is Shining Through

Well, I need help and feedback-plus I think it’s important to post my scholarly writing as well as my for fun writing on the net-keeps me honest.

Below and for the next million pages you will find my first draft of my term paper for Sociology 3001 (Sociological Writing.)  I’d love any and all comments, emails, berrations, etc.

Thanks

Changes in Appalachian Communities: Progress on the War on Poverty

Alana Berry

March 30, 2009

Sociology 3001

University of West Georgia

Abstract:

1963 saw the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, but his plan to revitalize the poorest parts of America did not die with him. In 1964, President Johnson declared “War on Poverty” in a federal effort to eliminate the destitution and hopelessness many American citizens were living in. Through the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commission and other federal programs combined with the grassroots efforts of community leaders, some progress has been made over the past 50 years. A renewal of interest in the region has many questioning if enough has been done and whether or not this area can be saved.

Article:

In 1964, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, succeeding President Johnson declared war on poverty in America. Appalachian America was at the forefront of this new social initiative. Several ideas were proposed to alleviate the suffering of American citizens, suffering that many associate with third world countries and not the United States of America. Inhabitants of the mountains are often stereotyped as being distrustful of outsiders and fiercely self-reliant. Because of this, the most effective way of combating the social ills of Appalachia are community action grassroots efforts started and sustained by the people who live there. More than 50 years later, the struggle continues, but progress has been made.

Johnson was clear in his 1964 State of the Union address. “This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America. I urge this Congress and all Americans to join with me in that effort.” Johnson went on to outline how America could answer the needs of its poorest citizens. He made clear that the attack on poverty should be a national one, but that the battles would be fought at the State and local levels. He emphasized a “cooperative approach” that would strike at what he felt to be the real heart of the problem; education, medical care, housing and “decent communities.” The community would be the key variable in the equation regional betterment in Appalachia.

Appalachia presents the problem of people referred to as the “hard core poor.” The President’s Commission of Income Maintenance Programs would place “the aged, the disabled, female-headed families and those whose limited skills seem unlikely to be demanded by an increasingly complex industrial system” (Zarefsky 1986:102) into this category. The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) sought to help mountain communities through job training, but by their own definition, many of the people they sought to help were outside the training parameters. Beaurocratic programs like those of the OEO were unsuccessful.

Many Americans have a limited frame of reference for what and where is Appalachia. “Appalachia, as defined in the legislation from which the Appalachian Regional Commission derives its authority, is a 205,000-square-mile region that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. It includes all of West Virginia and parts of 12 other states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia”. (Appalachian Regional Commission 2009) It is important to remember that the people of Appalachia have always been somewhat isolated from their urban or suburban neighbors and because of this, they have created their own culture, dialect and community priorities which can often clash with the ideas of outsiders. The Appalachian community is a complex combination of people, industry and environment that creates a unique living situation strangers find difficult to understand. One of the largest issues that, while not exceptional to the mountains, remains a profound problem with households in the region. Married families in Appalachia are more destitute than their mainstream American counterparts. Concerns such as income, child-care and housing are exacerbated in a community with a limited economy. The aging population of the area presents a similar problem as single person households increase alongside their poverty rates. (Werner and Badagliacco 2004) All of these must be taken into consideration when creating a plan to help mountain communities.

Of course, the largest outside factor that affects this area is coal. Coal mining and production is one of, if not the largest,economic contributor, while at the same time being a huge consumer of natural resources in the form of land and forest consumption. The industry in the region lacks adequate regulation and continues to produce millions in revenue for the mines while failing to contribute to the local communities in which they do business. Not only is the economic problem a concern, but the safety of the residents is affected by “mountain top removal.” Residents near mines suffer from “rock slides, catastrophic floods, poisoned water supplies, constant blasting, destroyed property, and lost culture.” This is combined with other ill effects on health from coal dust that aggravates both school children and the elderly. “The long term health effects have yet to be studied and may include “liver, kidney, and spleen failure, bone damage, and cancers of the digestive track.” (Baller and Pantilat 2007) There is also the case of coal companies taking advantage of the region financially. Businessmen and politicians created tightly woven factions to gain control of the vast coal resources in West Virginia and Kentucky in the early 20^th century. This unethical union bought senate seats, like Johnson Cameron’s in Kentucky, who actually lived in West Virginia and Clarence Watson a seat in West Virginia, even though he was from Maryland (Drake 2001:157). Because of this, many decisions about the region were being made not from community leaders and long-time residents, but by outsiders and the top of the upper class who’s priorities were decidedly different from those living in the area.

Many people consider this area of America to be beyond help. This way of thinking is the product of ignorance of the region and it’s history. Even though many Appalachian states are in the Deep South, this area was predominantly unionist during the Civil War and in fact, became the base for the Republican Party in the South after the war (Drake 2001:154-155). Natives also have long and intimate family connections with each other that are deeply intertwined. History like that of the Hatfield’s and McCoys is folklore to the rest of the country, but to the people of this area that history is real and even today fresh.

In 1963, before his death, President Kennedy created the Appalachian Regional Commission to put into practice plans for economic revival. The ARC presented President Johnson with an outline to organize these efforts. This report included just two basic points as the Commission worked on a complete “plan for Appalachia.”

1. An immediate, or short-run, investment to provide basic facilities and programs not provided in the past but which are essential to the growth of the region and opportunity of its people.

2. A regional organizations to allow maximum use of both existing and new resources in a continuing development effort. (A Report by the President’s Appalachian Regional Commission 1964)

Johnson and the ARC did have some success. The poverty rate from 1964 to 2000 decreased dramatically from 31% to 13.6%. The number of adults receiving a high school diploma increased by 70% (Associated Press 2004). Unfortunately, while there have been some very impressive overall changes, there are still so many living there that want to work, to do more than survive but the local economies are just non-existent.

Because the coal companies pay very well, up to $60,000 a year for a entry-level worker, and provide good benefits those jobs are scarce (A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains 2009). With an increase in technology, the jobs are even more difficult to get. In 2003, more than 4 million tons of coal rolled out of this southernmost West Virginia county but it took barely 700 people to produce it (Associated Press 2004). Not good odds for those with little education and children at home to feed. The coal company positions are in stark contrast to the option that most residents have, which are minimum wage retail positions at dollar stores in the many strip malls dotting the area (A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains 2009). Because of this, many people turn to drugs not just for the escape, but as a much needed source of income. In April of 1998, the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) officially designated areas within Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia as the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation n.d.). The largest reason for this designation and spenditure of local resources was that the area had perfect climate conditions for the cultivation of marjiuana and, more importantly, low median income plus high unemployment rates equaled desperate people willing to do anything to survive.

All of this information and background leads to one place. What is working? There are programs making great strides in substance abuse treatment, education and providing basic services to the tenants of these mountains. The Rural Women’s Recovery Program (RWRP) works with women in Ohio to help them navigate government buerocracy in order to receive the social services they need. WIC, Planned Parenthood and the local Department of Human Services all work with RWRP by sharing information, even though staff and budgets are short (Tatum n.d.). The VISION program in Schuylkill County, PA uses a similar format by connecting community resources with each other to promote change. These community partners work together to develop programs that help several areas of concern simultaneously. One example is the VISION program teamed up the “Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce Foundation and formed a forum comprised of sophomore, junior and senior students from area schools. This group will meet regularly to share information between schools, communities, and businesses” (Schuylkill County’s VISION 2008) The Mud Creek Clinic was featured in Diane Sawyer’s 20/20 report “Children of the Mountains” but much of the good work of Eula Hall was left out in favor of a more sensationalist view of the community leader. Ms. Hall has lived in the area all her life and is exactly the type of that came to mind when the ARC was in its inception. She began the clinic in 1973 with a tight budget and commitment from two local doctors to help. Today [1999], the Mud Creek Clinic in Grethel, Kentucky, serves over 7,000 patients a year from a modern 5,200-square-foot facility. The clinic is the only facility in Floyd County that provides health care based on ability to pay.” The climic provides other basic needs as well, dental services, a food pantry, portable water and a clothes closet are all part of this blossoming outreach program (McDaniel, Appalachian Scene: Eula Hall: A Driving Force for Change 1999). There have been others as well, Carroll Smith a former coal miner in Letcher County, Kentucky brought door to door recycling and union representation to county employees and was quickly elected to county judge executive. After his election he proposed an ordinance to limit logging that was damaging county land and roads. He proposed a minimum wage increase, a recycling bill and an smoking ban in public buildings-proposals that were becoming common place in the rest of the country (Eller 2008:246-247). Though none of the aformentioned proposals passed, Smith developed a reputation for caring about his constituents more than the bottom line from coal, oil and logging companies, who lobbied to gain his favor.

Appalachia is a beautiful and vibrant part of America. Long considered “The Other America” the people have been marginalized and ostracized as though they live in a different country. A piqued interest due to news stories has inserted these mountains into the mind of many who want to help. What Appalachia needs is not fly-by-night magazine specials and one time contributions from the other side of the country, but continued community outreach that will educate residents on the importance of small but profound ways they can change their lives. Preventative health care, especially prenatal care for expectant mothers and regular well-check ups for young children. An emphasis on proper dental care and maintance can do much to deter the Mountain Dew addiction that mainstream audiences were shocked over in Sawyer’s 20/20 special. Unfortunately, until the large industries making so much money from this region decide to contribute back instead of filtering resources both natural and financial away from the hills, many local efforts will be just a small drop in a very large budget. People like Eula Hill can only do so much without real corporate sponsorship. As techological advances in mining, oil production and logging lessen the need for human workmanship and machinize the process, there will be less jobs paying a livable wage and more competition for jobs without one. This will continue to add to the two biggest problems for Appalachia’s younger generation. They can either leave-and deplete the culture and heritage as the next group of young people try to find fortune elsewhere or, they can stay and perpetuate the cycle of no education, low income and no end in sight for the generation after. Neither choice is a good one, but without big money, the big dreams of new communities for the younest inhabitants of Appalachian America will never come true.

References

Interview by Diane Sawyer. A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains ABC News. February 13, 2009.

A Report by the President’s Appalachian Regional Commission. Washington, D.C.: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1964, 17.

Appalachian Regional Commission. 2009.

Associated Press. 2004 “Some still fighting War on Poverty after 40 years.” Sullivan-County.com. May 23. Retrieved March 30, 2009 (http://www.sullivancounty.com/nf0/june_2004/app_poverty.htm).

Baller, Mark, and Leor Joseph Pantilat. 2007. “Defenders of Appalachia: the campaign to eliminate mountaintop removal coal mining and the role of Public Justice.” Environmental Law, June 2007.

Drake, Richard B. 2001. A History of Appalachia. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of KY.

Eller, Ronald D. 2008. Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky.

Johnson, Lyndon B. 1964. “Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union.” Washington, D.C., January 8.

Jr., John Benhart. 2007. Appalachian Aspirations: The Geography of Urbanization and Development in the Upper Tennessii River Valley, 1865-1900. Knoxville, TN: The University of Tennessee Press.

McDaniel, Lynda. 1999. “Appalachian Scene: Eula Hall: A Driving Force for Change.” Appalachia Magazine: Journal of the Appalachian Regional Commission.

McDaniel, Lynda. 2001. “Appalachian Scene: It’s All About People.” Appalachia Magazine: Journal of the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Schuylkill County’s VISION. 2008. “2008 Year in Review.” Schuylkill VISION Retrieved March 30, 2009 (http://www.schuylkillvision.com/2008%20%20Year%20in%20Review%20Economic%20Development%20Education,%20Energy.pdf).

Tatum, Tanya. “Rural Women’s Recovery Program and Women’s Outreach . . .Serving Rural Appalachian Women and Families in Ohio.” Treatment Inprovement Exchange. Retrieved March 30, 2009 (http://tie.samhsa.gov/Taps/TAP17/tap17rural.html).

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Drug Investigation Division. Retreived March 30, 2009 (http://www.tbi.state.tn.us/divisions/did_progs.htm).

Werner, Tammy, and Joanna Badagliacco. 2004. “Appalachian Households and Families in the New Millennium: An Overview of Trends and Policy Implications.” Journal of Appalachian Studies 10, no. 1: 373-388.

Zarefsky, David. 1986. President Johnson’s War on Poverty. University, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press.

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