“To be an Appalachian American Arab Muslim … that’s a big title. I feel like I’m wearing so many hats at the same time.” Malak Khader of Huntington, West Virginia finds herself constantly fighting stereotypes about her religion and her home state. She started a multiethnic Girl Scout Troop at […]
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‘We are Called to be Stewards of God’s Creation, Not to Rape and Pillage and Plunder God’s Creations.’
Just because we’re located in a rural part of Appalachia, this part of Virginia and in a small, rural county — don’t count us out. The people here — they have lives, they have lives that tell stories. Morris Fleischer: Depending on the measurements, we’re basically in the zone. We’re […]
Read MoreSome are ‘Paying it Forward’ With Coffee and Prayers in Kentucky Coffee Shops
I’m not very good at running the register because I give basically everything away. — Joe Farmer of Axis Coffee Shop and Gathering Place in Manchester, Kentucky Tracy Farmer: We saw the need in our church to expand. We needed room for children’s ministry and youth ministry, but we also wanted […]
Read MoreMuslim convert bridges divide between Christians and Muslims in Appalachia
Bob Jones is a sixth generation West Virginian and a Muslim convert. He feels at home in Appalachia at the intersection between his Christian roots and Islamic faith and lives within 10 miles of where his ancestors immigrated to W.Va. in the 1800s. “West Virginia is my story,” he says. Bob’s full […]
Read MoreSimple gifts: Tweets are cheap, but a bowl of soup speaks volumes
When the conversation gets heated and political tempers flare, it’s time for a new approach: neighborliness. People who live in small communities have a head start, not because they are inherently friendlier than urban people, but because the smaller scale promotes more human interaction. EDITOR’S NOTE: Churches matter in rural […]
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