Lieselotte Heil, Twana Jackson, and Ashly Bargman share their thoughts about the significance of getting along and their hopes for President Donald Trump’s term. We spoke to the three at Lewisburg’s Martin Luther King celebration and share their thoughts on this last day of Black History Month. All live in the Lewisburg area.
Lieselotte Heil: I want to stand up for love because there’s been a lot of hatred espoused and there’s a tendency of people when faced with hatred to want to fight back. Then, they’re basically still in that same paradigm. So, the message of my sign is about love.
I chose the wording with a lot of thought and prayer because I really wanted it to speak. ‘Prevail’ is to just stand firm and steady — just be there. I feel like those words are very important.
It is painful for me watching the divisiveness. It’s almost like we voted for declaring ourselves to be separate from one another and at odds with one another.
You don’t fight hatred. You stand firm in love. At this point in our collective history, it’s more important than ever for people to be aware of that. What we really need to do is recognize that love is stronger than fear, it’s stronger than hatred, love is really who we are and that’s what we have in common with one another.
Twana Jackson: It’s even more important that as a community we work together and that we stand up and speak together because Trump is everybody’s president.
We’re small in quantity, but people in this area really believe in God and are kind to each other and help each other to do the right thing. That’s one of the themes of this area, regardless of color, regardless of challenges and problems. You keep on pushing, keep on doing, and accomplish everything that you can.
We have to live with the decision we’ve made. It’s time to wake up, stand up, and get involved with the rest of us to make sure that he is everybody’s president and he looks out after everybody, and encourages Congress to make rules and laws that are good for everybody, not just rich people, wealthy people, not just white people. Everyone.
Ashly Bargman: We fell in love with West Virginia. The community, the people, and the land. We’re beekeepers, so we came up here to expand our apiary. It’s a land worth fighting for. West Virginia is really worth saving. Environmental issues are my main concern, for our children. It’s about our water and our land — our precious mother earth. I’m one that is very optimistic and know that love will prevail.
In ‘100 Days, 100 Voices’ Nancy Andrews presents photographs depicting the diversity of voices across Appalachia. These portraits strive to show the varied faces, passions, issues and opinions from around the region. These interviews have been edited for brevity and clarity. If you have an idea for ‘100 Days, 100 Voices’ please contact Nancy Andrews on Twitter @NancyAndrews or email at nancy.andrews [at] mail.wvu.edu.