Young people in Appalachia are being shaped in an era fraught with political unrest, surrounded by almost insurmountable global issues that will shape the world they inherit. But all at once, they are expected to both save the world and care far less about things too serious for them to understand. Here, we give young Appalachians space to think out loud, examine and amplify issues they know are impacting their identities, their communities and, by extension, their politics.
When I entered adulthood and moved out of the house to attend college more than three hours away in Louisville, I made a commitment to myself that I would prioritize my mental health. Back home, people didn’t really go to therapy. This was due to several factors: extremely limited access, […]
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This article was written before FDA authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 12. The COVID-19 pandemic has been by far the most distressing experience of my life. We learned to live wearing masks and only hang out with our friends outside. Over the past eighteen […]
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As college students around the country returned to campus this fall, the start of the semester came with an ongoing set of challenges during a pandemic, including academic stress, lack of social and emotional support, and moving to a new place, all of which affects students’ mental health. But some […]
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The Appalachian woman archetype is rough, hardened and traditional. Men are the head of the household; women mind the house. The labor of men brings money and professional prestige; women’s accomplishments are brushed aside as familial expectations. Cleaning, minding children, providing a refuge for emotional vulnerability, these are all duties […]
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Seven years before my dad was born and six years before my mom, the Stonewall Riot took place in New York City. My parents were two and three years old when Pres. Ronald Reagan’s press secretary laughed off the AIDS epidemic and referred to it as “the gay plague.” Decades […]
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During Black Lives Matter rallies that swept Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, last summer, Madison Mellinger and LeShan Wilkinson, both 20, began documenting the movement in the community as part of a personal photo project. The image that stands out most in their minds a year later is the same for both: Mom […]
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